Cody Weightman

Cody Weightman (born 15 January 2001) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Western Bulldogs with the 15th draft pick in the 2019 AFL draft.

Cody Weightman
Personal information
Nickname(s) Flea[1][2]
Date of birth (2001-01-15) 15 January 2001
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s) Dandenong Stingrays/Haileybury/Beaconsfield
Draft No. 15, 2019 AFL draft, Western Bulldogs
Debut 17 July 2020, Western Bulldogs vs. Essendon, at Metricon Stadium
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current club Western Bulldogs
Number 3
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2020– Western Bulldogs 50 (84)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 14, 2023.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Weightman was born in Melbourne and grew up on a farm in Pakenham.[3] He participated in the Auskick program at Officer.[4] He played his junior football for Beaconsfield.[5] Weightman captained his school's first XVIII side at Haileybury, where he was coached by Australian Football Hall of Famer Matthew Lloyd.[6][7] He also played for the Dandenong Stingrays in the NAB League, and was selected to play for Vic Country in the AFL Under 18 Championships.[8] Weightman played 4 games with Vic Country, and had two stand-out games. His first came against the Allies on 9 June 2019, where he kicked 4 goals, had 16 disposals and 6 marks to help his team to a 97-point victory.[9] He also had another 4-goal haul against South Australia on 28 June 2019, his 4 goals and 12 disposals[10] helping the team get over the line by a singular point.[11] He was selected for the 2019 Under-18 All Australian side on the interchange bench,[12] after he kicked the most goals out of any player in the tournament, finishing with 9 from 4 games.[13] After finishing his schooling, Weightman went to Bali in Indonesia, where he played for the Bali Geckos, describing it as a way to "just to decompress, really,".[14] Weightman was noted as a heavily determined player, reportedly obtaining a vertical jumping test before the AFL Draft Combine in order to perfect his jumping technique to gain an advantage of other potential draftees.[15] Most phantom drafts had Weightman being taken with either Melbourne's 12th pick in the draft,[16] or the Western Bulldogs' 15th pick,[17] and eventually he was taken by the latter.[18][19][20]

AFL career

When arriving at the Bulldogs, Weightman donned the number 19 guernsey, the number previously worn by former player Lukas Webb.[21] Weightman debuted in the Bulldogs' 42 point win over the Essendon Bombers in the 7th round of the 2020 AFL season, against friend and former teammate Ned Cahill.[22][23] In his first game, he picked up 2 goals, 9 disposals and 3 marks.[24] Weightman's first disposal was a banana kick with which he kicked a goal.[25][26][27] After kicking just 1 goal in his next two games, Weightman was omitted from the side[28] and did not return for the remainder of the season.[29]

Weightman was kept to the VFL for the start of the 2021 AFL season. He had a standout game in the VFL against Carlton's reserves side, where he took a spectacular mark over Ryley Stoddart[30] which grabbed the attention of seniors coach Luke Beveridge. After playing just 3 games in the 2020 season, Weightman returned to the team in Round 9, where he was instrumental in the team's close win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. He kicked two goals in the first quarter, and then kicked the winning goal with only a few minutes remaining by snapping it over his head into the goals.[31][32] He earned the praise of captain Marcus Bontempelli, who stated "His pressure and his tackling and finishing were exceptional. It's great to see him get some reward."[33] His winning goal earned a Goal of the year nomination for round 9.[34] The next week, Weightman was nominated for the 2021 AFL Rising Star award after his 2-goal, 14 disposal, 11 score-involvement performance against St Kilda.[35][36] Weightman had a career best game against North Melbourne, where he kicked four goals, three of them coming in the first quarter.[37][38] It was revealed Weightman had signed a two-year contract extension with the Western Bulldogs on 20 July 2021, tying him to the club until the end of the 2023 season.[39] Weightman earned a Mark of the Year nomination in round 19, after he took a spectacular mark on top of Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn.[40] The mark drew lots of media attention and was branded as a contender to win the annual award.[41][42] Weightman was one of the team's most important players in their 49-point elimination final victory over Essendon, kicking four goals to help them break away from the Bombers.[43][44][45] After his 4-goal performance in the final, Weightman was subjected to abuse on social media platforms,[46] prompting teammate Josh Bruce to defend him on Twitter.[47] Weightman managed to kick 1 goal in the team's thrilling semi-final victory over Brisbane Lions.[48] Unfortunately, he was substituted out of the game for a head knock, after which he developed concussion symptoms, ruling him out of the Preliminary final the following week.[49][50] Weightman played in the grand final, but had a quiet game as the Bulldogs ended up losing to Melbourne, picking up just seven disposals.[51] After the conclusion of the season, it was revealed that Weightman had played through an ankle injury which he incurred during the pre-season throughout the year.[52][53]

Personal life

In his spare time, Weightman enjoys wakeboarding and surfing, and has also learned to paint.[14] He grew up supporting Collingwood.

Cody Weightman drew much controversy in an event where a wardrobe malfunction lead to him revealing himself to players and fans. When asked what happened, Cody Weightman said "What I did, I did for the country" [54]

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2021 elimination final [55]


Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2020[lower-alpha 1] Western Bulldogs 1933111718441.00.33.72.36.01.31.30
2021 Western Bulldogs 191425121143514947271.70.87.42.59.83.01.8
Career 17 28 13 125 42 167 51 31 1.7 0.8 7.4 2.5 9.8 3.0 1.8 0
  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours & Achievements


References
  1. "Dogs' cult hero focusing on 'flea-like' moves to keep spot in best 22". AFL Media. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  2. "Flea ready for finals fever". Western Bulldogs Media. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. "Selling cows, wish chips and the Tiger mentoring top draft prospect". afl.com.au. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. AFL Record. Round 2, 2022. pg 37
  5. "Cody Weightman". Zero Hanger. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  6. "Cody Weightman". Aussie Rules Draft Central. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. Twomey, Callum (28 November 2019). "Draft reward for willing Weightman". Westernbulldogs.com.au. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  8. "Cody Weightman - About Me". Pickstar. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  9. "Allies vs Vic Country". Aussie Rules Draft Central. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  10. "Vic Country vs South Australia". Aussie Rules Draft Central. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  11. Alvaro, Michael (1 July 2019). "Scouting notes: AFL U18 Championships – Vic Country vs. South Australia". Aussie Rules Draft Central. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  12. "REVEALED: The 2019 U18 All Australian team". Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  13. "2019 National Championships - Statistics". Aussie Rules Draft Central. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  14. Baum, Greg (4 September 2021). "Cows, surfing, art: Cody Weightman takes the scenic route at the Bulldogs". The Age. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  15. Twomey, Callum (11 November 2019). "Class of 2019: 'Footy head' leaves no stone unturned in pursuit of dream". AFL Media. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  16. Doerre, Chris (27 November 2019). "Every club, every pick: ESPN's full AFL phantom draft". espn.com.au. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  17. Twomey, Callum (25 November 2019). "Cal Twomey's 2019 Phantom Draft: Top 30, your club's whispers". AFL Media. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  18. "Cody Weightman". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  19. "2019 AFL Draft: Dogs take Cody Weightman with pick 15". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  20. Lewis, Tyler (8 October 2019). "Worth the wait for Cody". Pakenham Gazette. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  21. "New Bulldogs get their numbers". Western Bulldogs Media. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  22. Waterworth, Ben; Balmer, Matt (17 July 2020). "AFL Round 7 Team Whispers: Giants forced into late swap, Saints young gun to debut". Fox Sports. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  23. "Two Stingrays to debut in same AFL Game - as opponents". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  24. "Round 7 • Essendon Bombers v Western Bulldogs". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  25. "Cody Weightman makes dream Dogs debut". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  26. Whiting, Dominic (18 July 2020). "Dogs haul Dons back to earth with second-half smashing". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  27. "Cody's first game to remember". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  28. "TEAM NEWS - Round 11". Western Bulldogs Media. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  29. "Weightman eyes 2021 opportunity". Western Bulldogs Media. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  30. Rhodes, Brendan (10 May 2021). "Huge grab, big injury as Dogs get home over Blues". AFL Media. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  31. Barrett, Steve (15 May 2021). "Western Bulldogs outmuscle Power to move to the top". The Age. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  32. "Western Bulldogs beat Port Adelaide by 19 points, Richmond defeats GWS by four, after wins for Sydney, Nth Melbourne and Brisbane". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  33. "Weightman grabs his chance". Western Bulldogs Media. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  34. "GOAL OF THE YEAR: Watch". AFL Media. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  35. "Worth the Weight, man: Livewire Bulldog earns Rising Star nod". AFL Media. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  36. "Weightman a Rising Star". Western Bulldogs Media. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  37. "Dogs' cult hero focusing on 'flea-like' moves to keep spot in best 22". AFL Media. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  38. Paynter, Jack (4 July 2021). "AFL: All the action from the Round 16 Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne clash". Herald Sun. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  39. "Cody banks two more years". Western Bulldogs Media. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  40. "Mark of the Year: 'What about that climb'". AFL Media. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  41. Sullivan, Matthew (25 July 2021). "Western Bulldogs' Cody Weightman takes mark of the year contender". Herald Sun. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  42. Waterworth, Ben (24 July 2021). "'You're on another poster mate': Cody Weightman's insane mark of the year contender over Max Gawn". Fox Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  43. Schmook, Nathan (29 August 2021). "Elimination pain: Bombers' curse continues as Dogs march on to semis". AFL Media. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  44. Cherny, Daniel (29 August 2021). "Long wait continues for Essendon as Weightman leads Dogs to semi-final". The Age. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  45. Geleit, Lachlan (29 August 2021). "Dogs end Dons' season in heated finals encounter". sen.com.au. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  46. Laughton, Max (30 August 2021). "Bombers condemn racist abuse of star forward and attacks on Dogs rivals after final". Fox Sports. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  47. "Injured Western Bulldogs star Josh Bruce trolls online haters of teammate Cody Weightman". news.com.au. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  48. "Bontempelli still a chance to play in prelim despite knee injury". AFL Media. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  49. Healey, Catherine (6 September 2021). "Scans clear Marcus Bontempelli of serious damage, but Western Bulldogs teammate Cody Weightman to miss". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  50. "Bont a chance to play, Weightman ruled out". AFL Media. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  51. "Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs 2021 GF - Player Stats". afltables.com. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  52. Ward, Roy (11 October 2021). "Magpies 'right fit' for Lipinski, Weightman to undergo ankle surgery". The Age. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  53. Gould, Russell (1 December 2021). "'Emptiness' driving Grand Final revenge". Fox Sports. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  54. "AFL star proposes collaboration with Calvin Klein after suffering wardrobe malfunction on field". Sport Bible.
  55. "Cody Weightman". AFL Tables. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
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