JACOB Weitering debuted 156 games ago in front of over 75,000 people at the MCG.

In total, 12 of his career games tally to date have been played in front of over 70,000 fans at the home of football. One of those was with over 90,000 in the house (Round 1, 2018), while another four have had a crowd above 85,000.

So while Friday night will mark the end of an eight-year wait for finals football, it’s not a situation that he and the Blues are completely new to. That last game against Collingwood in 2022 was a final in all bar name, as were late-season clashes with the Pies and Dees in this year’s home-and-away campaign.

He admits that it may be difficult trying to treat the game against Sydney as just like any other, but he’s hoping the body of work behind both himself and the wider team is something that will readies Carlton for the first elimination final.

“We play for Carlton, we’ve had some pretty big games this year and last. ‘Vossy’ used some comparisons between the Melbourne game last year and this year, Collingwood last year to this year — the crowds, the situations we were placed in, that’s as close to finals footy as you’ll get,” Weitering said on SEN.

“In terms of being prepared, we haven’t been there for 10 years, but we have certainly been in situations quite similar. We’ve been in moments in games where there’s been 85,000 or 90,000 people where we’ve been up by a point and down by a point. We’ve lost some and it’s been heartbreaking, we’ve won some as well, and they’re all experiences which will hold us in good stead.

“I’m trying to keep it as level as possible, albeit family and friends are pretty excited for me. You try to treat it as any other game, but there’ll be nerves for sure: there’ll be mistakes, there’ll be pressure and based on the weather, it’ll be sloppy. It’s going to be an arm wrestle, but ‘Vossy’ loves that, and our group loves that.”

Reflecting on the journey to this point, it’s safe to say it’s had ups and a few more frequent downs since Weitering arrived at IKON Park with the first overall pick in the 2015 AFL Draft, alongside Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, David Cuningham and Jack Silvagni. 

He drew comparisons to the 2006 AFL Draft from a Geelong perspective, where Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins and Tom Lonergan - these days a member of Carlton’s coaching group - all arrived at the same time and had near instant (and sustained) success in the Cats’ golden era.

Preferring to look ahead rather than in the rear-view mirror, Weitering’s excitement is palpable when it comes to the prospect of seeing his teammates in September action — and seeing the stands inundated with Navy Blue after a decade-long wait for AFL finals action.

“We’ve talked about guys who I think most would agree are ready and built for finals footy. ‘Crippa’, Charlie and ‘Walshy’, Adam Cerra being in a final really excites me. To see how they go about it, hopefully they can lead the way and lead the charge on Friday night.

“There’s always that high motivation to play at the end of the year, now we’ve got to go out and do it.

“You’ve got the fans and the anticipation. The ‘G, 93,000 in front of some Carlton fans that have been through it in the last 10 years, it’s unbelievable the amount of support we’ve had. Especially in this back half of the year and even when the times weren’t as good, we had the majority of them really backing us up as well as ‘Vossy’. 

“Hopefully they can all get down — and bring an umbrella!”