New Bomber Sam Weideman has admitted that he was "going through the motions" during his days with the Demons, stressing that a "fresh start" at Tullamarine would, hopefully, help him find his spark at the senior level.
Having been brought to Melbourne with the 9th selection of the 2015 National Draft, hopes were initially high for the grandson of legendary Pie Murray Weideman. However, after producing just 59 appearances in the red and blue across seven seasons, these aspirations were dashed, time and again.
In an open and honest conversation with AFL Media's Josh Gabelich, the newly minted Don stressed that he hadn't placed himself in the best place to succeed whilst at Melbourne.
"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," Weideman told Gabelich.
"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."
Though professing gratitude to the Demons for kick-starting his career, the forward claimed that his arrested development as an athlete has left him feeling far from content.
"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," Weideman added.
"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."
While admitting that he had shown "glimpses", Weideman was also happy to say that consistency had been his Achille's heel across the course of his days in boots.
Joining Essendon via the trade table on Deadline Day, Weideman will now join forces with 2022 Crichton Medal winner Peter Wright.
Since debuting in Round 20 of the 2016 season, Weideman has managed a mean of just 1.05 goals per game. And with Wright elevating his own averages from 1.28 to 1.9 after trading Carrara for The Hangar, a yardstick for improvement is evident.
While the work remains ahead of Weideman, the redheaded ex-Sun's career revival hadn't gone unnoticed.
"I watched a lot of his work in the previous two seasons and it is really encouraging to see how much he's developed with a new start and a fresh opportunity, Weideman said.
"He has obviously done a mountain of work during his time at the Bombers. Being able to work with him is something I'm excited about. I'd love to follow in his footsteps in developing my game to become a consistent forward."
The pair of highly-touted former first-round draftees will get to work under new coach Brad Scott in 2023.