Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has downplayed suggestions that small forward Cody Weightman has a tendency to dive for free kicks after his side’s win over the Kangaroos.
Weightman was instrumental in his team’s 21. 13. (139) to 11. 5. (71) win over North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, kicking a career-best five goals and four of them in the first term.
While the 21-year-old has become a cult hero among Bulldogs fans, he’s also incited the ire of rival supporters, notably during last year’s finals win over Essendon, due to his uncanny ability to draw free kicks for high contact throughout his short career.
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Weightman was the beneficiary of another free kick in the Dogs’ forward 50 over a dubious high-tackle call, prompting questions over whether the club was worried over his play.
However, following the Bulldogs’ 68-point win, Beveridge batted concerns over Weightman’s play style away.
“Even those ones last year in the elimination final – there might’ve been one that wasn’t there, but the rest were there,” he said.
“You’re talking to a small forward, you don’t get many breaks, so you’ve got to take them where you can get them if you can exaggerate a little bit. We don’t coach that.
“He puts his body in, though, and he gets his pill in congestion and he plays a little collision game.
“I think he just puts himself in situations where, because he is a little bit more diminutive than others, the opposition are prone to giving him a free kick or two away. I don’t think it’s at any proportion where we’ve got any concerns with.”
Weightman was one of four Bulldogs players with multiple goals, with star forward Aaron Naughton also drilling five goals, but the demolition job didn’t leave the Dogs coach fully impressed as he lamented a lapse in his team’s concentration in the second quarter.
“It was a little bit disconcerting after quarter-time,” Beveridge said.
“No doubt the Kangaroos found an edge in their game to challenge us that little bit more, but I thought we went away from some of the fundamental things that worked well for us early in the game.
“We’re always searching for the perfect game and there was a lot right about this afternoon… but there’s some things that we really need to work on, too.”
The win lifted Beveridge’s side into 12th position on the ladder, and the Bulldogs will look to make it back-to-back wins in round six when they host Adelaide at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.