Sam Weideman Biography

Essendon delist Sam Weideman after 17 games across two seasons with the club.

"I’d like to thank Sam for his contribution to Essendon over the past two seasons. These decisions are never easy but Sam handled it with maturity and professionalism," Bombers talent and operations manager Matt Rosa said.

"We wish Sam all the best for his future endeavours and he will always be a part of Essendon."

Essendon coach Brad Scott mounts a fierce defence of Sam Weideman as the key forward struggles for form.

Weideman has gone goalless in his past four games and is without a contested mark in three, after booting 13 goals in his first eight appearances as a Bomber.

"He's just trying to work in. He's at a new club, trying to fit in with a player he hasn't played with before in Peter Wright," Scott told reporters.

"We always look at our forward structure in terms of the total output, and our forwards didn't give us great output on the weekend. But they didn't get great service, or a lot of service, either.

"It's extremely unfair to talk about one player when it's the total mix we're looking for."

Sam Weideman says he is looking forward to a fresh start at Essendon after playing 59 games for Melbourne across six seasons.

"I was going through the motions in a way at Melbourne. I was coming in and out of the side and not getting too much continuity at AFL level. I felt like I needed a change and I needed a new environment to kickstart things. I feel like the opportunity at Essendon will give me that chance to play AFL footy consistently, just going in with a fresh start and a blank canvas to hopefully make an impact with them. I'm very grateful for what Melbourne has done for my career, but I just thought it was a good time to make a change and get things started again," Weideman said

"I'm 25, and I'll be honest, I'm not exactly happy with where I'm at with my career up until this point. I feel like I've still got a lot to give as a player and I think a fresh start will help push that forward in the right way. A fresh opportunity will do me a world of good. Going through it at Melbourne, I was looking at the game in a certain way and it was probably spiralling down in a way I didn't enjoy. A fresh start will bring that enjoyment back and I think it will hold me in good stead."

Sam Weideman is traded to Essendon from Melbourne along with picks 54 and 72, with pick 37 heading to the Demons.

"I'm incredibly excited. It's such an awesome time to be joining Essendon and I'm really excited in the direction that Brad (Scott, coach) is taking the club," he said.

"After speaking with him earlier in the week, he has clear intentions and plans on where he sees the club going and I look forward to working with him and the other coaching staff."

Sam Weideman set to miss the early part of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg.

"Following some soreness in his hip region, the medical team decided to conduct a scan, which has shown a stress fracture in his femur," Melbourne's football performance manager Alan Richardson said.

"We didn't expect to find anything this substantial, but it's better to get onto it now and prevent it from getting any worse."

Sam Weideman is ruled out for the rest of 2019.

The 22-year-old was making his comeback from a calf injury in the VFL last weekend when he collided with teammate Declan Keilty in the opening minute of the match.

He was left with concussion and had surgery to repair two breaks in his jaw.

Sam Weideman signs a new two-year deal with Melbourne to remain at the club until the end of 2021.

"It was a massive weight on my shoulders. It was a lot of pressure, which I didn't really enjoy too much. It affected me quite hard mentally and affected my footy as well," Weideman said about the stress of being in the final year of his contract.

"I think the early stages of the year the pressure was building, and it got a bit overwhelming at times. It's a massive relief to have signed now and I'm very excited for what's to come."

The opportunity to be the linchpin in Melbourne's forward line appeals strongly to Sam Weideman and the emerging Demon is preparing himself to grab the extra responsibility with both hands.

"With Jesse (Hogan) gone the spot has opened up and I see it as an opportunity," Weideman told AFL.com.au.

"'Goody' (coach Simon Goodwin) has spoken to me and told me there's no added pressure from any of the coaches or anything like that. It's just that there's clearly an opportunity there, and I recognise that.

"I put it on myself to grab that with both hands and I want to be a consistent member of the senior team next year so it's up to me and I've just got to keep driving myself."

Sam Weideman becomes a key component of Melbourne's finals campaign, having to fill in up forward for the injured Jesse Hogan.

"I put in a pretty long batch of work in the VFL at a pretty consistent level, which I thought was pleasing and gave me a lot of confidence that I was actually ready to go," Weideman said.

"I believed in myself and so did the other players. That was a great feeling.

"I felt ready (the other times), but I think a lot of my craft and decision-making at the higher level was a bit off and I don't think that part of my game was ready."

Sam Weideman signs a new deal with Melbourne that will keep him at the club until the end of 2019.

Wedieman has put on 6kg this pre-season, a weight gain which – without affecting his running capacity – has him far better placed to provide a strong target in attack in 2017.

"I feel a lot more confident in marking contests and contests around the ball now, just being able to stay strong and it's really helping me grow as a player," Weideman said.

"I just need to keep adapting to what my body is turning into and hopefully it's steering me in the right direction."

Sam Weideman makes his AFL debut for Melbourne at the MCG with 13 disposals (2 kicks and 11 handballs), 3 marks and 2 goals in a 29-point win over Hawthorn.

Sam Weideman is set to make his debut for Melbourne against Hawthorn this weekend.

"We've really tried to make the players earn their spots over the last three years, so he is one that we have been thinking about for a little while," Swans coach Paul Roos said.

"His game last week was exceptional in the VFL, so he comes in in really good form and obviously he'll need to be. He's playing against a very good team."

Melbourne select Sam Weideman with pick No.4 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.

"We needed someone to partner up with Jesse Hogan and Sam, we believe, can develop into a really good key forward with the traits that he's got – the character of the boy, his ability to keep his eye on the ball and his forward craft in general," Melbourne recruiting boss Jason Taylor said.