TEN YEARS ago this November, within the confines of Adelaide’s swank convention centre on tree-lined North Terrace, Jacob Weitering’s name was called with Carlton’s first selection (No.1 overall) in the 2015 AFL National Draft.

On Thursday night, an older and unquestionably wiser Weitering will lead the Carlton team onto the MCG for game No.200 – the 40th player to do so since in the 105 years since Rod McGregor first achieved the feat in Round 1, 1920.

Since the opening round of 2016, when he first took to the MCG in the dark navy No.23, Weitering has steadily built a handsome reputation as one of the game’s pre-eminent defenders – in the grand tradition of Stephen Silvagni, Geoff Southby and Ollie Grieve before him.

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Inside Carlton | A special feature with Jacob Weitering

Jacob Weitering joins Carlton Media and returns back home to Mount Martha. See what he got up to while he was there.

Renowned for his uncanny capacity to quickly read the play and invariably outmanoeuvre his opponent in the one-on-ones, the boy from Mt Martha is, at 27, nearing the pinnacle of his playing career.

Along the way, Weitering broke the 158-game record set in the No.23 by the Carlton premiership player Paul Meldrum, and with a good run at it he could well follow Nicholls, Doull, Bradley, Silvagni, Simpson and Murphy into the 300 Club.

There’s invariably expectation on any No.1 draftee, but that’s fine for Weitering, whose capacity to shut down the game’s next great key forward continues unabated.

Such form has not gone unnoticed beyond IKON Park either, with Weitering’s All-Australian recognition a measure of the universal respect in which this solidly-built but scrupulously fair footballer is held.

Weitering’s 200th appearance for Carlton happens just a tick over 12 months since the club’s Captain Patrick Cripps got there in the Round 18 match of 2024 against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

JACOB WEITERING

At Carlton

Player No. 1170
Guernsey No.23
199 games, 11 goals 2016 –
Best First-Year Player 2016
Leadership group 2020
Co-vice captain 2022 –
John Nicholls Medallist (B&F) 2020, 2023

Other honours

AFL Rising Star nominee - Round 3, 2016
AFLPA Under 22 team - 2016, 2019, 2020 (vice captain)
All Australian - 2024