Most 18-year-olds heading to Bali after their school exams don’t have meditation in mind.
Then again, most of those teenagers aren’t prospective round-one AFL draft picks.
Cody Weightman used some of the holiday to clear his head, with the small forward tipped to join the Western Bulldogs in Wednesday night’s selections.
“Mentally it was awesome, just to be alone for 10 days in the end and really consider things deeply, find a bit of peace,” he said.
“I did a heap of meditation, a bit of yoga, all that.
“I love all that stuff.
“The mental side of football is the most developing area in our game; everyone tries to get ahead of the game and that’s for me.”
Also in Bali, Weightman made contact with former Essendon player Rick Olarenshaw and kept up his training to make sure he is ready for his first AFL pre-season.
Weightman was seen at Bulldogs training last week, intensifying the speculation that he will be their round-one pick.
“It’s a lovely place and I’d be stoked if I could end up at the Dogs – but pretty much likewise for any other club too,” Weightman said of Whitten Oval.
His love of a high-flying mark has many drawing comparisons to Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott and he certainly has the chatty personality of a goalsneak.
Weightman has been a bolter this season, earning All-Australian honours after starting the year with a much lower profile among the draft hopefuls.
“I was definitely further down the pecking order,” he said.
“It just goes to show, I didn’t change a whole heap, I just backed in what I was doing and stayed really committed and true to myself.
“Footy is just a real passion for me. It’s the love of my life basically this far. I was never going to quit.
“It’s that confidence and belief; you just have to really back yourself and stay true to your character.”