WORKING closely with teammate Jesse Hogan has been one of the key reasons for Sam Weideman’s recent form and return to the AFL side, says the young tall.

Weideman, who looms as a long-term prospect for Melbourne, has played the past three matches for the club, building his game each week. Against the Saints at Etihad Stadium last round, he booted two goals and again pinch-hit in the ruck for Max Gawn.

But he said working closely with Hogan had been a genuine turning point for him this year.

“I worked really closely with ‘Hoges’ at the start of the pre-season. I got pretty clear messaging last year to watch him a lot more and work with him closely, because he’s a star of the competition and he’s becoming such a great player for us,” he told Melbourne Media.

“He took me under his wing early this pre-season and we’ve become a lot closer and are working a lot more together on different parts of my game. It’s been really good and beneficial.

“He came to my VFL games early on and spoke to me at each quarter. He gave me clear instructions and it was good to have someone to work with and look up to.”

Weideman said his confidence was growing being back in the senior side.

“I love being back in the side. I wouldn’t say I’m playing my best footy, but I feel like I’m making a few strides this year,” he said.

“I feel like I’m enjoying my footy a lot more this year. I’ve got great players around me like Tommy Mac (Tom McDonald) and ‘Hoges’ to work with.

“The last few weeks I’ve started a bit slow, but as the game’s gone on, a few marks have started to stick. I’m happy I could snag a few goals on the weekend as well. My confidence is starting to grow as well.”

“Confidence does play a big part of my game and I’m hoping I can do that consistently over four quarters in the next few games – if I happen to get picked again.

“I just want to keep it consistent and ride the wave of confidence.”

Weideman said he was also enjoying helping Gawn in the ruck.

“It takes me back to my junior days, when I was a ruckman back then. It’s nice to go around the ball a bit more and get involved in the play,” he said.

“It’s nice to have another string to my bow and hopefully I can keep developing that role over time.”

After having ankle surgery at the end of last season, Weideman said he wasn’t sure how long it would take to break back into the senior team.

But he said the help from Casey Demons senior coach Jade Rawlings had made a big impact on his game.

“I wasn’t really 100 per cent sure of where I’d play. I was hoping to play seniors as soon as I could. I was happy to take my time in the VFL and play some good footy there,” he said.

“The work that Jade Rawlings has done down there makes it very enjoyable to play. You develop so much as a player. The work that he’s done and the environment that he’s created there made it a lot easier to convert that to AFL level and that played a big part in me getting to AFL level quicker than I thought.

“It was fantastic to get that launch pad.”

Overall, Weideman said he went into this season placing less pressure on himself and he was now starting to see the benefits of it.

“I put a bit of pressure off myself this year. I think last year was a massive learning year – I put myself under a lot of pressure and stress, which probably affected my footy more than anything,” he said.

“I probably wasn’t enjoying it as much as I would’ve liked, which was a shame, because it’s something I love doing. But this year, I’ve gone into it with a completely different outlook.