All-Australian selector Nathan Buckley has confirmed that Carlton’s Jacob Weitering was discussed in the panel’s mid-year meeting.
Fox Footy released a video on Wednesday titled, ‘Inside All-Aus deliberations’ as the footage picked up the panel discussing 76 players that they felt were either ‘locks’ to be picked so far or a ‘watch’ – which was players who could be potential inclusions come the end of the season.
While all of Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, Nic Newman and Patrick Cripps were discussed and featured on a graphic that listed each player involved, Weitering was an omission that was picked up by football fans given the key back has had a great year down back.
Buckley says that Weitering’s name just didn’t come through on the video and that the Blue – who has never previously been named an All-Australian – is in his starting 22 to the midway point of the campaign.
As a result, he’s certainly in the broader squad that’s being discussed by the entire panel.
“Yeah, so he (Weitering) was in my best 22,” Buckley told SEN Whateley.
“I don’t know if he was in that many others actually for that time.
“We had the conversation (about him), but it didn’t come through on the Fox Footy piece.
“He was definitely a part of that squad from the first part of the year.”
While Weitering is currently in Buckley’s best 2024 line-up, he can’t speak for other selectors as different panellists have varying thoughts on who they believe have been the best players in each position.
Buckley is glad that the panellists push for different names as it allows them to pick a combined best 22 based on performance and overall team balance.
“He’s in my team, and I can’t speak for the other selectors because as you’d expect there’s going to be groupthink everywhere,” Buckley said.
“We’ve got statistics coming out of our ears and as Cornes said in the end there, ‘We’ve all got our favourites’.
“But the whole idea is that we challenge each other to the point that you are coming to what that panel believes is the best 22.
“There’s still plenty of football to be played. Supporters of each of their respective clubs will have their favourite players and think, ‘He absolutely is an All-Australian player’ and, ‘I love him more than I love these other three or four players over here that are playing a similar role in other clubs’.
“I suppose we have to remain as independent as possible and have those opinions, challenge the groupthink and I always look at getting a really balanced side.
“Sometimes you need to work against the overrepresentation of midfielders. Although, last year we had a dearth (of midfielders), but this year, we’ve got a surplus.”
The 2024 All-Australian panel includes Buckley, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, AFL football boss Laura Kane, AFL operations manager Josh Mahoney and ex-players Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Kane Cornes, Glen Jakovich, Abbey Holmes and Matthew Pavlich.