MARC Murphy has vowed to support out-of-form Carlton teammate Jacob Weitering as the youngster tries to capitalise on his undeniable talent, with coach Brendon Bolton refusing to rule out a stint in the VFL for the No.1 draft pick.
Weitering, who had a promising third pre-season and looked set to thrive in a permanent role in defence after starting 2017 in attack, has been quiet in both games so far this season.
On Saturday, he was forced forward with the absence of Matthew Kreuzer, where he was beaten by experienced Gold Coast defender Rory Thompson.
Talking points: Carlton v Gold Coast
Weitering finished the game with just five disposals and one goal, which came from a free kick, before he was thrown back briefly in the second half in a bid to reduce the effectiveness of Tom Lynch, who nailed eight goals.
"No doubt we've got to support him," Murphy told AFL.com.au after the Blues' 34-point loss.
"He's only a young bloke but he's a great young guy with a really strong character.
"He knows he's not playing as well as what he can at the moment, but he's got an enormous amount of talent and he's a really proud young fella so we'll support him."
Bolton said there was nothing physically wrong with Weitering and it was more about the "power of the mind" when it came to getting back on track.
He also called for calm regarding the talented key position prospect with a gentle reminder about the fact he is only going into his third year at an AFL club.
"'Weiter' is making sure he's thinking about his strengths, concentrating on his growth areas without overthinking them," Bolton said.
"We'll have a good chat with him during the week.
"What I do know about 'Weiters' though is he's determined, he wants to work really hard at his craft, so if he continues with that mindset during the week, I'm sure in time that changes."
Full details and stats from Carlton v Gold Coast
Murphy conceded it had been a couple of "down weeks" for Weitering and that his young teammate wasn't playing "anywhere near" the level he was capable of playing at.
He said the defender had high expectations of himself and simply had to find the confidence to believe in the talents that made him the top draftee.
"For him, it's about trying to get the right habits at training and making sure he starts well next week," Murphy said.
"It's about clearing the mind, he can't go out there thinking 'I'm going to stuff this up'.
"He's got to look at what he does really well, his strengths, and try and bring them to the table next week.
"He's had a really strong pre-season, played a really strong couple of games in the JLT, so he's had a couple of down weeks, but he'll be right, he's a good young fella."
Carlton will take on Collingwood on Friday night before their VFL affiliate the Northern Blues face the Magpies on Saturday.
Bolton didn't rule out the possibility of Weitering playing at Preston Oval instead of the MCG next week in a bid to help him find some confidence.
"I'm not going to make a public statement on what we're going to do in terms of selection now, but we'll go and analyse his game," Bolton said.
"Like any decision, whether or not players play VFL or AFL, it'll be a Carlton-first decision based on form.
"We'll make that decision during the week once we look at the tape."
