Western Bulldogs livewire Cody Weightmanย is prepared to embark on the upcoming AFL season, with lovers andย haters watching on in 2024.
The 23-year-old has dazzled in the Dogs' forward line, taking spectacular grabs and booting improbable goals across four seasons and 59 games in the league.
While past off-seasons have been littered with surgeries and procedures, Weightman says this pre-season has been a welcome change; fresh, healthy, and ready to commence an important campaign at Whitten Oval.
"I'm feeling pretty good at the moment and no surgery is a massive win," Weightman told AFL Media.
"To come back really refreshed is the main thing ... I had a few little (niggles) last year, and probably across my whole career so far but that's just a part of footy really.
"It can be a brutal game, so that's just how it is.
"The biggest thing for me is just that I've learnt how to play through injury โ so when I do feel fresh it's exciting."
Despite quickly gaining a competition-wide reputation for being a thrilling forward talent, the Dandenong Stingrays product remains humble; appreciating his fans andย critics.
"I'm just living the dream that I had as a five-year-old boy โ to play in front of a big crowd, so I pinch myself that there are fans cheering for me, and even [having] haters is pretty cool, to be honest. Just the fact that people care is a bonus," Weightman said.
The blonde-haired goal-scorer added that small forwards such as himself "aren't as blessed" as, say, a bullocking midfielder or an imposing key forward. So, he continues to embrace the 'pest' label and affect the game wherever and however he can.
"(Us small forwards) probably aren't as blessed at birth, so we've got to make that up with something," Weightman said.
"Whether it's being a pest or having a bit of aggression - that's probably where we try and do it.
"I think I've definitely gotten closer to a traditional small forward the longer I've been here โ that's because we've got so many bigs now that there is no need to use my aerial abilities as much.
"I still definitely need to keep that in my game because it makes me harder to play on โ to be able to threaten in the air and on the ground is a real bonus."
Weightman and the Bulldogs commence pre-season play against Hawthorn on February 23.
