The Western Bulldogs have made one change for Friday night’s Round 13 clash with Hawthorn at the MCG, and it brings Cody Weightman back into AFL footy after 637 days away.
Weightman is set to make his first appearance since the Elimination Final against Hawthorn in 2024, with the Bulldogs naming him for the match that starts at 7:40pm AEST. Lachie Jaques made way for the forward’s return.
It is the kind of selection call that instantly changes the feel of a team sheet. The Bulldogs have been waiting through a long stretch without Weightman, and now they will get him back in a game that matters straight away against the same opponent he last faced on the AFL stage.
Caleb May, Luke Kennedy and Jedd Busslinger were named as emergencies, leaving the Dogs with options around the edges but only one confirmed switch for the night. That keeps the focus squarely on Weightman, whose return is the story inside the broader Round 13 build-up.
His absence has run for 637 days, a period long enough to turn a return from a routine selection note into a genuine marker in a season. A player who was last seen in an Elimination Final against Hawthorn will now walk back into senior football against the same club, at the same venue, under the Friday night lights.
The Bulldogs and Hawks will go head-to-head from 7:40pm AEST, with the match to be shown live on Channel 7, 7 Plus, Fox Footy and Kayo Sports. For supporters checking team news before first bounce, the key change is already set: Weightman is in, and Jaques is out.
What remains is how Weightman looks when the ball is finally bounced. After 637 days on the sideline, the next part of the story begins at the MCG, not on the team sheet.
