JAKE WEIDEMANN has already marked Sunday the 2nd of May in his calendar.
That is the day his new club, Port Adelaide, takes on his former club, Woodville-West Torrens, at Alberton Oval.
The 21-year-old elected to cross Port Road in the off-season in pursuit of more league footy, after getting a taste with the Eagles in 2019 but being starved of opportunity as they went on to win the SANFL premiership in 2020.
“I’m looking forward to it and hope I get to play,” Weidemann told portadelaidefc.com.au.
“I know I’m going to cop a few words but it’s very exciting.
“It’s obviously a bit weird crossing Port Road and putting on the prison bars but it was a selfish move by me to try and focus on my footy a bit.
“It was a tough decision but it has been made really easy with how the boys have taken me in and supported me.”
A good size at 190cm and 85kgs, Weidemann is taller than his father, Wayne Weidemann, who also played league football with the Eagles and managed 68 AFL games with Adelaide.
Despite the obvious rivalries with Port, the younger Weidemann said his father was comfortable with his change of clubs.
“Dad’s fine with it. He’s happy as long as I’m playing good footy and enjoying it,” he explained.
“Obviously, it would have been nice to play league footy at the Eagles wearing his number 11 guernsey but things don’t always turn out the way you want.
“I’ve taken my opportunity with Port and he’s more than happy as long as I’m playing as high a level of footy as I can and playing as well as I can.”
While Wayne Weidemann wore the number 11 for the Eagles, Jake Weidemann is not fussed about the number he pulls on, as long as he wears the prison bars as much as possible.
In the pre-season trial games so far, his striking red hair has been spotted playing in the forward line and on the wing.
“Lokes have given me some freedom to get up and down the ground and I even had a sniff on the wing, which I enjoyed,” Weidemann explained.
“I like the high forward role where I can run up the ground and do what I like a bit, in a bit of a Nick Riewoldt, Tom Lynch position where I can get up the ground and link the play, then flood forward as well.”
Weidemann has settled in well at Alberton.
Despite knowing none of his new teammates, the strong-bodied talent has been welcomed.
He said he is enjoying the set-up even though he knows if there are too many AFL-listed players available, it might cost him his spot in the side.
“We all understand the system,” Weidemann said.
“It would obviously be a bit frustrating if you’d played well for three of four weeks but lost your spot (for an AFL-listed player) but you understand that coming across and it’s not a big surprise, you know what you’re coming in for when you sign the contract.
“The facilities are amazing, the staff in the backroom are really passionate about their roles. I get to learn from the AFL boys and I’m not afraid to help the younger boys too.
“It was a bit nerve-racking turning up and not knowing anyone but trusting Grimmy and Lokes when they told me they were all good blokes but I took a bit of a leap of faith and they were all good guys.”
Weidemann will get another chance to press his claims to feature in the club’s season opener on April 1 against Norwood when the side hosts Sturt in a pre-season practice match at Alberton from 5pm on Friday night.
The game is open to members and supporters with gates at Alberton open from 4pm.
