JACOB Weitering is more motivated than ever to put in a strong pre-season after his side fell short in the 2024 finals series.
Attending the Brownlow Medal on Monday night where he watched teammate and friend Patrick Cripps win the prestigious award for a second time, Weitering acknowledged that the ultimate goal for Cripps and the entire team was a Premiership.
Watching the finals unfold without Carlton competing was bittersweet for the defender, who feels the sting of the elimination, but also the motivation to get better and compete again next year.
“I’m not the biggest footy head in terms of watching football but finals football is something I do watch pretty intently,” Weitering said.
“You have to give credit to teams like Brisbane and Sydney and the way they’ve gone about it through the season.
“That’s the sort of team we want to be – a consistent football team that gets the job done.”
Admitting he is already back on a training program, the 26-year-old took part in an intensive post-season review, where he took on extra analysis and learning to dissect the 2024 season.
Attending extra coaching reviews, as well as conversations with Cripps and Michael Voss, Weitering couldn’t help but be excited about what 2025 could hold for the Blues.
“I’ve gotten back into getting moving and lifting and running, I feel like that’s the best for my body” he said.
“For me, I went in a couple of times over the coaching review days and had a look at the defence and reviewed that for the year which was really interesting to see from their point of view.
“Just trying to deconstruct what we can do better and for me, it’s motivating and exciting to look back at the year we’ve had and hopefully make everything that one per cent better for next year.”
While most players would be switching off from football, Weitering acknowledged it’s become harder to do after making a finals series.
Where he would once try and escape the city and switch off, he is now searching for ways to improve, inspired by his captain and now two-time Brownlow Medallist in Cripps.
“When we weren’t making finals, it was very much getting away and getting out of the city and not think about football but when you’re playing finals, playing against the Grand Finalist this year in Brisbane, you just want to find that one per cent or two per cent,” he said.
“With the way my season panned out and the pre-season that I had, I just want to be the best prepared that I can be.
“[Cripps] is always looking for new ways to get better and when you look at him and the way he plays the game and how good he is, you wonder how much room for improvement there really is to go.”
