“LEWIS has been unbelievable.”
Jacob Weitering will provide some defensive reinforcement for Carlton this week, with his return to the side confirmed in last night’s squad selection.
In doing so, he will line up alongside Lewis Young, who has stood up in Weitering’s absence and received plaudits far and wide in the process.
Coming up against Peter Wright, Tom Lynch, Matt Taberner and Max King over the last month, Young has risen to the occasion and assumed the mantle of the No.1 defensive role.
Speaking on SEN yesterday morning, Weitering complimented Young’s ability to take on the responsibility in his first season at the Club.
“His development from pre-season all the way up until now has been impressive,” Weitering said.
“He has come out of himself, he’s really confident in the way he plays and he’s getting a job done for us. In a way, it’s been a bit of a blessing in disguise.
“He said to me he hadn’t really played more than 3-4 games in a row [before this year]… to get some consistency and some learning experience, it’s going to hold him and this Club in good stead.”
"Something to be very proud of."#NAIDOC2022
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) July 7, 2022
Weitering referred to the differences of Carlton’s situation now compared to the 2018 season, which the co-vice captain has in the past referred to as his most difficult campaign both individually and from a team perspective.
Back in that campaign, Carlton’s defensive mix was a rotating door in a two-win year. While this year has seen a similar amount of players filter through, the Blues have been able to make do.
“I think back to 2018, we had 22 or 23 players roll through our defence that year. We had a different starting line-up for many weeks, and we win two games,” he said.
“I don’t know how many have rolled through there [this year]. but it’d be in the high teens. No matter who’s down there, the boys have managed to stand up and do a job.
“You’ve got to credit the team system as well and the way we’re playing our football, but also the individual efforts like Lewis Young standing up in the last four weeks on the big key forwards.”
