Sam Weideman has been in the footy wilderness for a lot of his career at Melbourne, through a combination of injury and underwhelming form. Last week was arguably his best game at the club, being the player they all want him to be in getting involved in scoring chains and being on the end of a few himself. This week he comes up against a better opponent in Harris Andrews, and it will be a big test of his improvement and that of the Melbourne team as a whole. Fantasy coaches will reserve judgement on his value until he strings many more good days together.
Sam Weideman has been in the footy wilderness for a lot of his career at Melbourne, through a combination of injury and underwhelming form. Last week was arguably his best game at the club, being the player they all want him to be in getting involved in scoring chains and being on the end of a few himself. This week he comes up against a better opponent in Harris Andrews, and it will be a big test of his improvement and that of the Melbourne team as a whole. Fantasy coaches will reserve judgement on his value until he strings many more good days together.
Weed overgrown
Form concerns and a season-ending broken jaw while playing in the VFL halted Sam Weideman's development. The Dee managed multiple goals on a mere 18% of occasions. A dominant key forward at his best as in the 2018 finals, Weideman has only shown signs he could be a competent fantasy scorer. Keep him on the watchlist.
Weed grows in shadow
The fantasy reputation of Sam Weideman going into 2019 will rest on one game: three goals from 24 disposals and seven marks in the elimination final against Lachie Henderson, who had suffered concussion the week before. That was part of a four-game run of scores above the forward baseline against top eight opponents, though his prelim stat line of one goal from seven touches was terrible. The hype, such as it is, about Weideman will be whether he can fill the boots of the departed Jesse Hogan. That would be a slight misread of the situation though, as that position will be more likely filled in a structural sense by Braydon Preuss out of the goalsquare. The Weed is more likely to stay as a third tall, busting packs on the flanks to set up crumbers. This makes him a dodgy start, and worth only a late pick.
Sam Weideman plays finals-type football, taking contested grabs and providing a target across half forward and midfield to make the Melbourne forward line operate at full efficiency. He showed last week that he can dominate the game when his midfielders kick it to him in good positions, and while his style is not especially conducive to regular fantasy football usage, in finals like tonight his stats will be golden for his team. The lack of Ben Stratton in the Hawks lineup will be of particular joy for him.
Sam still a weedy man
Given six senior games before the bye without doing much to justify it, Sam Weideman spent all but one game for the rest of his second season in the VFL, with a highlight of six goals against Kurt Heatherley and not much else. To look at, Weideman should be able to impose himself on the contest physically, but he lacked a certain something and was too often bustled off the fall of the ball. Another off season in the weights room may fix that. He is nowhere near draftable.
