WHEN the final siren sounded on the last Saturday in September, Sam Weideman was already thinking ahead to 2022.
After a year of ‘missed opportunities’, the 24-year-old was ready to hit the ground running, with the belief that his best footy was ahead of him.
“I think as soon as I got off the plane from Perth, I had that fire in my belly,” Weideman told Melbourne Media.
“I switched back into training mode, because I didn’t want to give myself too much of a break.
2021 saw Weideman’s future become the centre of speculation.
With majority of his season spent in Melbourne's VFL side, voices outside the club began to discuss if the tall forward would remain a Demon in 2022.
But despite these external rumours, the 24-year-old knew that Melbourne was where he saw himself playing, signing a two-year contract just one week out from the 2021 grand final.
“Missing out on playing in the finals series was a massive driving factor for me to stay,” Weideman said.
“I also wanted to prove that I still have a lot to give to the club and prove to myself that I can be the player I want to be.
“That’s the focus this next year, getting the most out of myself.”
Weideman arrived at the Demons back in 2015, with pick No.9 in the National Draft. With six years of memories in the red and blue, his loyalty to the club remained at the forefront of his mind when putting pen to paper.
“I came here six years ago when we were near the bottom, and I’ve seen us grow so much,” Weidman said.
“I had some pretty honest conversations with my close friends at the club and they gave me a lot of guidance.
“The signs that Goody and the coaches gave me were also really positive and it was really good to hear that they saw a future with me.
“So, I’m thrilled that I’ve stayed because I do love the club and I know there’s exciting times to come.”
In the lead up to Weideman re-signing, headlines such as ‘Rival clubs to chase out-of-favour Dee’ and ‘Melbourne forward stuck in ‘no man’s land’' circulated the news cycle.
The Demon admitted that these external voices had previously affected him and his on-field performances.
“Earlier in my career I felt like it affected me, and it seemed like a weight on my shoulders in my first few years,” Weideman said.
“But I feel like I’m over that hurdle now, I’ve learned to block it out.
“Now it’s more about the people in the club, my family, my friends and myself.
Weideman played just five senior games in 2021, while featuring in the VFL side on six occasions. Each VFL game he continued to fight for a spot in the AFL, dominating up forward, averaging 17.7 disposals and kicking 21 goals.
Despite this individual success with the Casey Demons, Weideman reflected on the season as one of frustration.
“2021 was a pretty difficult year for me personally,” Weideman said.
“I got my chance early in the season through some hard work and some good footy in the VFL and I think not grabbing that opportunity frustrated me the most.
“But I’m completely driven to get back into the side.”
Weideman returned to the club with the team on Monday 6th December prepared for his strongest pre-season yet, determined to play a bigger role in 2022.
“I want to be a part of a successful team and I know I played a little part in it this year,” Weideman said.
“But I want to make more of an impact next year and that’s been the driving factor in my off-season, which I think has really helped my start this pre-season.
“I feel like I’m in a really good place physically and mentally.
“I still believe that I can play at this club at the highest level, and I know that this team is going to be successful over the next five or so years and I want to be a part of that.”
