Ex-Demon and Hawk Jordan Lewis has suggested that it would be in Melbourne's best interests to retain young forward Sam Weideman beyond the end of the season.
Since being selected with a top-10 pick at the 2015 draft, the out-of-contract Victorian has only ran out for the Redlegs on 49-occasions and has not added to this tally since Round 13 of this year.
Despite the fact that the 24-year-old has yet to truly hit his straps within Simon Goodwin's forward line, his former teammate believed that if the Dees were to let him go, they would more than likely regret their decision.
โWhat I witnessed over pre-season, there was a real change in his attitude,โ Lewis toldย AFL Nation.
โHe found the level of discomfort in terms of training. He was pushing himself and they really translated to games, but then the injuries started to hit and that shot all his confidence.
โI would suggest if I was Melbourne to try as hard as you can to hold onto him."
Lewis believed that the Eastern Ranges product's inability to get on the park could unravel all of his prior work and claimed that if fit, Goodwin should be wedging him into his offense.
โHeโs not a confident kid either and maybe thatโs because he hasnโt strung consistent games or seasons together," the 55-game Demon said.
โI was a big advocate for him to play and continue to play if he was fresh and ready to go because I think he can have an impact.
โHe just needs games and to work with other forwards to get that continuity and to get his game to a point where heโs not necessarily thinking about what his patterns are and that comes with being out there.โ
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Should Melbourne fail to heed Lewis' warning, there are likely to be a fleet of suitors interested in landing Weideman's services for the 2022 season.
Although the key forward has found it tough to crack a consistent spot at AFL level, he has managed to carve out a career average of a goal-a-game across his career - including best figures of three-majors in a match on three-occasions.
Fellow former Demon Gerard Healy believed that the key for Weideman not staking his claim lies in his inability to take contested grabs cleanly.
โHeโs still two-grabbing [marks]. Heโs one grab away from being a very, very commercial player, but heโs a two-grabber at the present time,โ He said.
Weideman holds a current average of 1.24 contested marks per appearance and just shy of 3.5 each week.
The grandson of Collingwood legend Murray is unlikely to be named in Melbourne's starting-22 to face West Coast in Perth on Monday.
