An important element of the story:
Weitering and the Blues “are who we are”
Jacob Weitering opens up on what 2023 taught him in a memorable year for Carlton.
THE QUESTION was posed to Jacob Weitering. From the 2023 season, “what have you learned?” “.
“Patience, trust. Faith.” He paused, hesitating before saying the next sentence. “Resilience.”
He was afraid to say the last thing because he was aware of the emotions it might stir up. In his own words, it is a term to which Carlton supporters may react negatively.
“That’s probably what the fans don’t want to hear. They’ve been hearing it for decades now.
But even the most skeptical critics cannot deny what the football world has witnessed in 2023. This is a resilient Carlton team.
A Carlton team, when hope and confidence seemed lost again on the sporting landscape, fought back. “Stronger together” was the slogan used for the Blues’ incredible resurgence in September, but they have been through it before.
Connection has been key for Michael Voss and his team since the senior AFL coach walked into IKON Park in 2021. He has led a collective unit to find a way out of a The difficult situation is all too familiar. Resilience may be a word that Carlton supporters have been hearing for a while, but it’s clear it’s more than just empty talk to try to inspire hope. Hundreds of thousands of Bluebaggers witnessed it firsthand.
“That’s a good way to put it,” Weitering told Carlton Media.
“It’s very easy to fold in situations like half-time. The playing group, coaching staff and football department from top to bottom, it’s been great that we’ve been able to come together through a difficult time.
“The faith in the group of players and the leaders, the faith they have in “Vossy” is very important. We just need to turn things around as a team. We definitely have the players, we know that.
Carlton’s play-off final against Sydney marked the end of a long finals drought for the Blues, with Weitering feeling it more than ever. It’s a stat that’s been repeated frequently this game week:
Behind Patrick Cripps, Weitering has the second longest wait for the final in Blues history.
He switched to the Blue in 2015 and as the No. 1 pick in that year’s draft, he unwittingly became the face of what was called a “reset” for the ball club stone. It truly is a new era for the Blues.
Weitering hopes the end of the 2023 season will become an important footnote in a story that is yet to unfold, both individually and collectively.
“There were certainly expectations and predictions that we would get there, and that didn’t seem to be the case in the first half. I think the way the team and the club come together is quite significant to the journey and history of our team,” he said.
“’Vossy’ is about writing our own history and we’ve set out to do just that. But this is just the beginning.
“We know what we are. I don’t want to say we haven’t done that, but we have identified exactly what we want to pursue as a team and as a club, on and off the field.
“The monkey’s off the back a little now. We know we can do it . . . I won’t say it was a satisfying year, but I’m very proud of the playing group and the way we went about it.”
This last sentence accurately summed up the mood around IKON Park during the week of the exit meetings, which took place the week of the Final. Proud but not satisfied.
The general feeling this time last year for Carlton was one of misery. Right in the postscript there is mention of famine.
When describing his feeling that this interview took place 48 hours before the big game, Weitering smiled. “I’m quite sad because it’s the holiday season and we’re talking about Finals week.
“Sometimes we fail, and failure is okay as long as you want it. You can do this in two ways.
“We will be back.”
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