Western Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman says the small forward craft is something he actively had to develop in the early stages of his AFL career.

While now regarded as one of the emerging small forwards in the competition, Weightman said it was a key focus for him after being drafted.

“Flying for a mark and getting front and centre are two very different things,” he told Triple M on Wednesday.

“Making that decision early is an important one and backing your instinct on that.

“It’s been a big growth for me – getting drafted initially, I don’t think I’d laid a tackle in the whole Under-18s year.

“I (didn’t have) a defensive side to my game. I just knew how to kick goals.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way now. I probably went too far in my early days and was just pressuring, but I’ve been able to find a bit more of a balance.”

With an off-field vantage point this past fortnight following elbow surgery, the 23-year-old said playing consistent footy is the team’s main challenge at the moment.

“I’ve watched two games now with both very different results,” Weightman said.

“I think we’re working through that (consistency) each week and trying to figure that out – it’s the big challenge for us.

“Certainly when we’re going well, everything seems to work, but it’s when we’re challenged in games - how we can respond to that and wrestle back momentum.”

Weightman said he is eyeing a return in Round 16 against North Melbourne, just after the Bulldogs’ mid-season bye.