THE QUESTION is posed to Jacob Weitering. From the 2023 season, ‘what did you learn?’.
“Patience. Trust. Belief.” He pauses, hesitates, before saying the next one. “Resilience.”
He’s apprehensive to say the last one, conscious of the emotions it may stir up. In his own words, it’s a term which Carlton supporters might have an adverse reaction to.
“It’s probably something the fans don’t want to hear. They’ve been hearing it for a number of decades now.”
But even the most cynical of critics can’t deny what the football world saw in 2023. That was a resilient Carlton team.
A Carlton team that when hope and confidence once again seemed lost in a sporting context, they fought back. ‘Stronger Together’ was the tagline used for the Blues’ stunning September renaissance, but they had well and truly lived that in the lead-up.
Connection has been key for Michael Voss and his side ever since the AFL Senior Coach walked into IKON Park in 2021. He led a collective unit which found its way out of an all-too-familiar tricky spot.
Resilience may be a word that Carlton supporters have heard for a while, but it’s clear this wasn’t just lip service to try and breed hope. Hundreds of thousands of Bluebaggers saw it with their own eyes.
“It’s a good way of putting it,” Weitering told Carlton Media.
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