The Western Bulldogs are on the edge of their seats, anticipating the return of livewire forward Cody Weightman in 2026.
Weightman sat out the entire year due to a persistent knee injury and was subsequently placed on the inactive list in May, as the club put a line through him to open a list spot.
As a result, Gippsland Power product Zac Walker (Pick 12 in 2025 MSD) benefited from his absence.
But following five knee surgeries on a damaged kneecap, Weightman is putting his best foot forward, showing up early to pre-season, and impressing his teammates.
"He's such a, I don't usually use the word barometer, but he is that for us," Bulldogs defender James O'Donnell said.
"He's such an energiser. A great player too, so it will be so good to see him back. He's still working his butt off at the moment, just to get back. You see him here (Whitten Oval) every day.
"It's been a shocking year for him, but I think he'll take a lot out of it and it'll fuel him to go forward. I'm very excited by that."
At his best, Weightman is one of the most dangerous small forwards in the competition, kicking 36 and 34 goals in back-to-back seasons.
As for O'Donnell, he too is putting in the work as he looks to become the club's No.1 key defender following the delisting of Liam Jones.
The Bulldogs made their intentions clear to bolster their back half when they chased St Kilda's Callum Wilkie hard, albeit to no avail.
The departure of Jones has placed more responsibility on the cricket convert, as well as Rory Lobb and Jedd Busslinger.
"Callum is an unbelievable player, and we would have loved to have him," O'Donnell said.
"For us, it's about growth within.
"In that backline group, we saw growth last year, and we want to keep doubling down on that. Without Liam, we need to step up, and that's an exciting prospect for all of us."
O'Donnell's journey to the AFL is unlike many in the competition, signing with the Bulldogs ahead of the 2023 season as a Category B Rookie after a handy cricket career.
He followed in the footsteps of his father, Simon, who played 24 games for St Kilda in 1982 and 1983 before he turned his attention to cricket.
O'Donnell is set to bring up his 50th AFL game in Round 1 against GWS at Marvel Stadium.
