If you had told a seven-year-old Cody Weightman that he’d be kicking bags of goals for the Western Bulldogs, he’d be the first to admit he probably wouldn’t have believed you.
But for 23-year-old Weightman, it’s that perspective that grounds him each week.
Fresh off kicking six goals - the most by any player at Mars Stadium - in the win over Gold Coast, Weightman said reminding himself of his childhood dreams puts a lot into perspective.
“I do a lot of gratitude work and I constantly come back to that - as a kid, as a seven-year-old,” he told RSN on Tuesday morning.
“I've got a photo in my locker and I look at it every day. It’s of me kicking the footy – I’m literally living my dream every day I play this sport.
“I constantly remind myself, if you're getting haters or whatever it is, there's bigger problems in the world and what I'm doing is pretty amazing.
“I don't lose sight of that - I try and go out and play like a kid. You’re going to get some things wrong, and you're not going to win every week but I just try to remember that kid would’ve done anything to be in my shoes.
“There was probably 18 years of doubt whether you'd actually make it as a kid coming through the ranks – there’s kids doing that right now who have no idea that they're going to get on a list eventually.
“To be actually doing it is something that I'm super grateful for and definitely don’t lose sight of. It keeps footy fresh and keeps you going.”
Weightman’s half-dozen was one of two in his career to date, having kicked five or more goals in a game on four occasions since his debut.
He said it’s important to maximise those opportunities when they present themselves.
“It was ideal - Bont won the toss and went with the wind, so there was going to be a bit of supply, and the mids got it done early. I was lucky to just be in the right place at the right time,” Weightman said.
“As a small forward that doesn’t happen very often, so when it does you just have to kick straight.
“I think when you kick goals and have involvements - you've got the adrenaline kick and are probably at the top of your game. I have found that actually when it rains, it can pour sometimes - for me it can also be a drought.
“It’s something that's probably in my game now so I try to keep that (energy).
The Dogs will head into an Easter Sunday clash against West Coast, hoping to take some of last week’s momentum into the match.
“We’ve always felt a little bit behind the eight-ball, but to be 1-1 is a really good chance now for us to probably get ahead of the ball and start to get rid of a bit of that external pressure hopefully going forward into this season," Weightman said.
“We've lost the last few early in the season and had to play catch up, so we're looking to try and get on the front foot this year.
“Fingers crossed we can start that against West Coast this week.”
