Carlton skipper Marc Murphy has praised the selflessness of young gun Jacob Weitering after the defender blocked a goal from Essendon during the club’s 15-point victory on Sunday. 

As a result of the brave act, Weitering will miss the next two to three weeks with a minor capsular injury to his shoulder and Murphy was quick to highlight Weitering’s important piece of play.

“It is really disappointing to lose him, as he’s been going really well for us over the last few weeks,” Murphy said.

“The ball was there on the line (in the second quarter) and it was a moment where he had to almost put himself in harms way to make sure they (Essendon) didn’t score a goal.

“But that’s what we’ve seen from Weiters, he is a selfless player and that is why we love him.

“He is very smart and he just understands what footy is about – since he arrived at the club, he has been asking a lot of questions from the senior guys and is a great example for the other young guys around the Club.” 

Carlton will face Collingwood in the annual Peter Mac Cup clash on Saturday afternoon at the MCG and Murphy said his side was excited to line up against its arch-rival. 

“Both teams are sitting close together on the ladder and all the boys are looking forward to a big turn out from our fans at the game,” he said.

“While the build-up hasn’t been different in terms of what we have been doing day-to-day, as a player, when you play against teams such as Collingwood, Richmond and Essendon at the MCG, they’re always big games.

“It is a big rivalry… You always want to set yourself up to play a really good game.”

Ahead of Saturday’s clash, Murphy told RSN on Tuesday morning he hoped his team would bring the same effort to the games following the Blues’ successive wins over Fremantle and Essendon. 

“There is a really good feeling around the Club at the moment. Even though it was a pretty scrappy game on the weekend, the boys got over the line and got the four points.

"There’s still room to improve but our effort has been good. Our effort has really been there lately and I think that’s what our fans are enjoying at the moment.”