Sam Weideman has been axed again from Melbourne’s side, once more raising questions about the talented forward’s viability at the club.
It’s the third time Weideman has been omitted in 2022 after copping the axe in Rounds 8 and 12 earlier this year, this time coming off two goalless games in the past fortnight.
A top-10 pick in the 2015 draft, the 25-year-old has shown he has the talent to succeed at the level, a four-goal performance in his first game this season against Essendon a highlight of what he can do.
However, he’s averaging less than a goal a game since that clash and appears to have fallen behind tall utility Mitch Brown in the pecking order at Melbourne.
Debating why the tall forward struggles to get a gig, SEN’s Andy Maher questioned whether Weideman is simply not good enough to break into Melbourne's best 22.
“Why can’t Sam Weideman hold a spot in this team, is he just not good enough?” he asked on SEN’s The Run Home.
In response, five-time premiership player Dermott Brereton was confident Weideman has the attributes to succeed.
However, the former Hawk was less sold on his attitude, suggesting Weideman might not show the desperation needed to succeed in a stacked Melbourne lineup.
“He’s got talent. My own read on it, if you’re in his shoes, you’d want to be absolutely rabid about winning the spot,” Brereton said.
“I can’t see him as a rabid personality (with) the want. You sort of see him cruise through and (he) does well, does things nicely, but I don’t see spittle coming out of him when he’s yelling… that guttural feel of, ‘kick it to me or I’ll give it to you at half-time’.
“I get the feeling that young Weideman is a lovely young man and he's probably not going to leapfrog the other blokes.”
Weideman has kicked 58 goals in 57 games for the Demons.
Weideman and Brown were omitted in favour of Luke Jackson and Max Gawn for Thursday night as the ruck duo made their return from successive injuries.
The Dees will line up with Bayley Fritsch and Ben Brown as their other key forwards as they take on Geelong in a clash of first versus second.