A TEAM effort.
Carlton co-vice captain Jacob Weitering was proud of the way his side stood up to Hawthorn yesterday, especially how each member of the team played their role in implementing the team's game plan.
With 11 individual goalkickers and every member of the team registering a score involvement, it was truly a team effort when the Blues delivered a 10-goal win over the Hawks.
Referencing their defensive setup over the last month, Weitering - who is free to play this weekend after having his match-day report thrown out on Monday night - said seeing results on both sides of the ball was a weight off the Blues' back.
Good to go.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) July 3, 2023
Jacob Weitering’s match-day report has been thrown out: he’ll be available for selection for this week’s trip west. pic.twitter.com/YFSRhMxkgo
“Defence has been up and down this year and a little bit bumpy, but I think we’re top four for points against and it shows today,” Weitering said.
“When it is in our defensive half, I feel like we defend quite well as a team and now we’re putting points on the board and getting a win.”
The defender noted the team’s desire to keep up the momentum they gained from the Gold Coast clash, going into their break with the purpose to come back refreshed.
“We broke the bye curse – it was good,” he said.
“The boys had a good break and a really good victory over Gold Coast, we wanted to come in and train well.”
Speaking on their position at the half-time break - when the Blues held a commanding 50-point lead after keeping the Hawks goalless - Weitering said the team's focus was to maintain pressure and continue playing their football brand.
“We kept it pretty positive and looked at the pressure and contest, that’s what was getting us ‘Ws’ and getting us goals upfield,” he said.
“We kept it in our front half pretty well, they responded in the third - good teams will do that - and we held our own.”
After 18 disposals, seven tackles and a goal, this guy's been quietly going about his business since his long-awaited return to senior footy.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) July 2, 2023
Hear what Lachie Fogarty had to say following today's game!
Pointing out the role players who did their job consistently over four quarters, Weitering was pleased with how they fought it out.
“Blake Acres, Matt Owies, [Lachie] Fogarty, even Brodie Kemp coming in and doing a role for us is unbelievable,” he said.
“We’ve got some guys that just do their role for the team and sometimes they get reward and sometimes they just play their role.
“It’s a good environment at the moment - considering six losses on the trot - but now we have two wins in a row and we can continue to build.”