What does the future hold for out of contract Melbourne forward Sam Weideman?
The 24-year-old has played just the five games this season as the Demons have gone in a different direction with their forward line, leaving him to ply his trade in the VFL.
Trade suitors will inevitably come for the former top 10 draft pick, but Jordan Lewis, who worked part-time at the Demons over the pre-season, believes Melbourne should do what they can to hold onto him.
“What I witnessed over pre-season, there was a real change in his attitude,” Lewis told AFL Nation.
“He found the level of discomfort in terms of training. He was pushing himself and they really translated to games, but then the injuries started to hit and that shot all his confidence.
“I would suggest if I was Melbourne to try as hard as you can to hold onto him.
“I still think that there is a lot of upside with the way that he plays.
“He’s not a confident kid either and maybe that’s because he hasn’t strung consistent games or seasons together.
“I was a big advocate for him to play and continue to play if he was fresh and ready to go because I think he can have an impact.
“He just needs games and to work with other forwards to get that continuity and to get his game to a point where he’s not necessarily thinking about what his patterns are and that comes with being out there.”
Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy believes the next step for Weideman is clunking his marks without juggling them.
“He’s still two-grabbing (marks). He’s one grab away from being a very, very commercial player, but he’s a two-grabber at the present time,” Healy added.
Melbourne takes on West Coast in Perth on Monday night. Weideman has been listed as one of the extended changes, but will likely be an emergency.
With the lockdown in Victoria and the VFL called off, this likely means he will not be playing any senior football this weekend.