Welcome to the Western Bulldogs: Cody Weightman

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Originally Posted by AshMac

Really hope he gets a crack. Was electric in his last year in the VFL in that exact role and comes across as the best bloke in the world. Maybe second best after Moz

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TBH I don't have faith that Dickson's body will stand up to a full season so I expect one spot will open up for a smallish forward (even if Bailey Dale and Schache both cement a spot). It's likely to be his final year anyway.

Caverra did pretty well in the scratch match by all accounts and has battled hard at VFL level for years so deserves his chance, but Cody is a super talent as well. Given Lloyd's age both might get the chance to play together in coming years as Weightman is good overhead for his size.

“HE’S GOT A BIT OF SPUNK”: DOGS DRAFTEE PUSHING FOR ROUND 1 DEBUT

Western Bulldogs draftee Cody Weightman is pushing for a Round 1 debut having showed an abundance of “spunk” and “energy” during the pre-season.

That’s according to Bulldogs defender Matt Suckling, saying the small forward has been "quite hard to contain" during match simulation.

Weightman was the Dogs’ first selection in last year’s draft, snapped up with the 15th pick overall on the back of lively displays for Victoria in last year’s Under-18 Championships.

Four-goal hauls against South Australia the Allies caught the attention of recruiters during the carnival.

“He’s got a bit of spunk about him for an 18-year-old. He’s definitely someone that comes into the system and shows their stuff straight away,” Suckling told SEN Breakfast.

“I know playing on him as a half-back, he’s been quite hard to contain, He’s got a lot of energy and plenty of zip. He’s one who’s going to push for selection early and hopefully gets a go in the Marsh Series.

“Playing on someone like that has kept me on my toes and when guys come in with that confidence, it’s good.”

Weightman could get his chance to press for a senior debut when the Bulldogs open their Marsh Community Series against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

WORTH THE WEIGHT FOR YOUNG BULLDOG


First-year Western Bulldogs player Cody Weightman spent his season shutdown period at his family’s home in Officer. We spoke to the No.15 overall draft pick about his time away from the game in lockdown and the business venture he created to keep himself busy.

Kavisha Di Pietro: You’ve been back at training for a week after the season shutdown period. Was it good to be back on the track with your teammates?

Cody Weightman: Absolutely! You really start to miss the little things you get used to with the day in, day out of training. It was great to see familiar faces and be back at the club again. It’s a quite different to how we were training previously with the new rules in place. So much has changed in terms of social distancing and the way we train. We’re split into smaller groups of eight players and I’ve been training with the likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Bailey Smith. ‘Bont’ has been a great guy to learn off. The interactions you have during the day are so different as well. You really are sectioned off into your training group and you might cross paths from a distance with another group, but we’re not spending time together like we normally would. Training itself has a pre-season vibe to it in terms of intensity and the type of work we’re doing. Despite the changes there’s no doubt that we were all keen as a club to be back together.

During the shutdown period you went back to your family’s property in Officer (in South-East Victoria). What was it like to get back there and be able to spend some quality time with them?

It was great to get back to Mum and Dad’s, which is where I grew up. They’ve got a bit of land out there and so I had a bit of space to roam around and get my training done. It’s certainly different to what I was getting used to living in the city – it’s so much more interconnected here (in Melbourne). Being back home almost felt like being on school holidays again, but without the homework! I loved being able to see family and spend some quality time with them. Taking the advice of my teammates and really using that time, because they’ve all said you definitely don’t get much of it (being able to go back home) once the season starts. It was certainly time I’ll treasure.

You and your brother built a makeshift golf course on your property. How did that come about?

That was my first little project when I got back home. I curated a little bit of a golf course but really it was only two holes. The first hole was about 90 metres so my brother and I just spent our time practising our skills. I made sure to give myself things to do whether it was playing golf or cutting the grass to make sure I never got bored. It certainly kept me busy.

Another one of your projects was redesigning used surfboards. Is art something you’ve always been passionate about?

That project took up most of time over the break – I found it really enjoyable. When I was younger I enjoyed arts and crafts, but when it came to high school and VCE it wasn’t something I pursued. It started with an old board I had a while ago that I decided to re-paint for a bit of fun and I ended up selling that and making a little profit so it became a bit of a side hustle for me. I thought while I’ve got time it would be worthwhile to continue pursuing that passion. My brother and I ended up with quite a few old boards. I used it to practice different painting techniques and try my hand at a few different styles of design. In the end I was able to sell a few boards while enjoying my time as well.

As you mentioned, you’ve got a bit of space back on your parents’ property. How did you maintain your fitness while you were there?

I felt by the time isolation hit I had fully adjusted to the demands of being in an AFL environment and a footballer. We were all sent programs to complete from our fitness staff. I was lucky that back home we already had a decent home gym set up, which I upgraded a little bit but that setup was able to accommodate me and everything that I needed. Gym wise I was doing everything from home but I was also really lucky that Cal Porter (third-year Bulldogs player) is from the same town and was spending his isolation here too. That meant we could do skill sessions and train together – following social distancing – and bounce off each other. I was fortunate with the resources around me to not feel like I was impacted too much.

How much were you able to take from Cal during that time?

I was super lucky – we actually spoke about that at the end of isolation. Having each other and being able to bounce ideas off one another was so helpful. He’s been through it as a third-year player so to be able to watch him and set myself to his training standards, while we were away from the club, was great. We challenged each other and that was no doubt rewarding for the both of us. I knew Cal prior to the draft too and it was just a bonus that we ended up at the same AFL club.

Now that you are back at the club, what are you looking forward to most?

I think being able to tap into that competitive side that we’ve probably been a little bit starved of lately. Training is enjoyable, but as players we really just want to be out there doing what we can so I’m looking forward to games getting back underway. We want to build towards having success as a group and so we’re all really excited to get back out onto the field.

We’ll leave it there, thanks for the chat Cody. Good luck this season.

No worries! Thanks Kavisha.

Weightman seems to have a wise head on his 18 year old shoulders.

Bit of a goer too - was he the guy that traded cows?

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Originally Posted by Dry Rot

Weightman seems to have a wise head on his 18 year old shoulders.

Bit of a goer too - was he the guy that traded cows?

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Yep. Made a bit of coin, and banked a future first rounder from Dodoro.

What does traded cows mean and where does Dodoro (auto correct wants to say Doritos ��) come into it?

Weightman to debut

The Bulldogs first-round selection from the 2019 NAB AFL Draft will be unleashed on Friday night.

The 19-year-old will make his AFL debut against Essendon on Friday night at Metricon Stadium.

Mitch Wallis presented the debutant with his playing jumper at training today.

Weightman will be the Bulldogs’ fourth debutant in 2020, following in the footsteps of Ben Cavarra, Laitham Vandermeer and Louis Butler.

The small forward joined the Bulldogs with pick 15 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, and has impressed through the pre-season and practice games.

Good news, he can hit the scoreboard for us

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Originally Posted by GVGjr

Good news, he can hit the scoreboard for us

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TBH I'd be thrilled if he could just lay a tackle.

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Originally Posted by Rocket Science

TBH I'd be thrilled if he could just lay a tackle.

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Haha - made me laugh :D:D

Good luck Cody!

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Originally Posted by bornadog

Haha - made me laugh :D:D

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Ha. He's very welcome to kick goals out of his arse a la Rankine too! They're not mutually exclusive!

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Originally Posted by bornadog

Weightman to debut

The Bulldogs first-round selection from the 2019 NAB AFL Draft will be unleashed on Friday night.

The 19-year-old will make his AFL debut against Essendon on Friday night at Metricon Stadium.

Mitch Wallis presented the debutant with his playing jumper at training today.

Weightman will be the Bulldogs’ fourth debutant in 2020, following in the footsteps of Ben Cavarra, Laitham Vandermeer and Louis Butler.

The small forward joined the Bulldogs with pick 15 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, and has impressed through the pre-season and practice games.

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Who would he come in for? West was down, especially compared to his performance the week before but deserves another shot to redeem himself.

Flea's gonna be insane for us he's an animal we'll absolutely love him. Cant wait.

Best wishes with your debut Cody!! Kick a bag and run rings around the Bummers.

Always exciting to see a debut, especially a first round draft pick.