“WE HAD a big pre-season and off-season in terms of our standards and coming back in the right shape, building a culture that will bring this Club forward.

“Celebrating individual efforts is part of that.”

While he hasn’t been one to individualise since taking the role of AFL Senior Coach at IKON Park, Michael Voss couldn’t help but heap praise on Jacob Weitering following his performance on Lance Franklin last weekend. 

Coming up against one of the greatest players the game has ever seen for the first time was a daunting task for Weitering, who came up against his opposite number on Friday night and produced a showing which went a long way to determining a Carlton win.

Speaking on SEN’s Whateley, Weitering said the public praise he received from Voss in his post-match press conference was indicative of what occurs inside the four walls.

He said it was a process introduced from Voss and instilled by captain Patrick Cripps.

“It’s something ‘Vossy’ has brought in and ‘Crippa’ has led very well since the handover at the end of last year,” Weitering said.

“We’ve been doing a super job in the first 10 weeks of the season and we’ve got guys doing a super job for us.

“If I can contribute to that and continue to do my job each week, then I’m more than happy to do that.”

Having had teammates like Alex Silvagni and then Liam Jones take the reins on Franklin in previous seasons, Friday night marked the first time that Carlton’s No.23 came up against Sydney’s No.23.

Quizzed on how he went about coming up against someone of Franklin’s standing, Weitering went in-depth on his preparation, admitting that while he didn’t change too much from a process point of view, there were more than a fair share of nerves coming into the contest.

Particularly given he was coming up against Franklin in Sir Doug Nicholls Round and the added pressure of the night, this is how Weitering described his engrossing one-on-one battle.

“For me, I didn’t change too much in terms of my preparation on the Tuesday and Thursday. I made sure I watched plenty of vision and understood how he gets the ball.

“You saw in the third quarter when he kicks that goal from 70, they’re the goals that are hard to stop. I went back to my strengths and tried to be physical with him, making sure I was taking his lead-up space and at the same time still playing team defence.

“It’s dependent on who you’re on, but if there’s one guy that you don’t want rolling to get a handball receive or getting it out the back, that’s Lance Franklin.

“The one-on-contest that sticks in my mind is when he was on my back and we were wrestling and I was just able to get a hand on it. That’s basically my role: to win or halve contests when I’m in them. The cavalry then arrived and I think we got a holding-the-ball free kick.

“They’re the moments that I’ve probably had too many of in recent years and those one-on-one numbers have come down a lot. That’s a credit to ‘Vossy’ and his game plan, Aaron Hamill and his defensive strategy and the boys executing that.”

Labelling it “a privilege” to take on the opposition’s best key forward each week, Weitering said the opportunity to play on Franklin was one he would look back fondly come the end of his career.

The game is littered with plenty of emerging tall forwards, some which Weitering will have countless duels against on the playing forward, and two more on the training track.

Seeing the way Charlie Curnow has spearheaded the forward line in Harry McKay’s absence in recent weeks has been a major positive for Weitering, and - keeping with the theme of acknowledging individual performance for the team - looked back on one specific performance which may not have received the external plaudits it deserved.

“The game against GWS is certainly one that people should look at,” he said.

“We were undermanned and they’re a terrific intercepting side with defenders like Sam Taylor and Nick Haynes. Charlie was able to bring the ball to ground nearly every single time.

“There was a moment in the third quarter where Sam Taylor spoiled it out of bounds, Charlie went to ground and there was a moment where he could’ve decided to give up: he just got straight back up and got on with the job.

“He kicked two in the last quarter and got some reward, that was another role that was celebrated during the week. He’s getting the chocolates at the moment.

“Charlie is full of beans and confidence. He’s a Curnow.”