Carlton young gun Jacob Weitering wants to take on the AFL's best forwards after an outstanding debut season.
The key defender was the No.1 pick in the 2015 draft and has arguably lived up to the hype more than any top selection since Richmond took Brett Deledio more than a decade earlier.
Weitering played 20 games last year, finished third in the Rising Star award and showed an ability to read the play that belied his inexperience.
But the 19-year-old says his game remains a work in progress and has set his sights on improving his work at the contests, having bulked up his already impressive frame.
"Obviously I've got to develop as much as I can in all areas and the body's certainly one," he said on Friday.
"Coming up against players like (Geelong's) Tom Hawkins and (St Kilda's) Nick Riewoldt, they're two different types of players - one running and one obviously a big-bodied forward who kicks lots of goals and likes to get into some contests.
"You've got to be versatile in today's league and that's what I've tried to do in the offseason, just put a little bit of weight on."
Weitering is set for his pre-season hitout on Saturday when Carlton face Melbourne at Casey Fields.
The Blues have named a strong side led by captain Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Dale Thomas and reigning best-and-fairest Sam Docherty.
They will also blood seven new recruits including former Geelong midfielder Billie Smedts and Caleb Marchbank, Rhys Palmer and Jarrod Pickett, all of whom were snared from Greater Western Sydney.
"We had a few come in last year as well so I think we've had 30 change over since (coach) Brendon Bolton's come in," Weitering said.
"We're just looking to improve and get as much consistency in our games as possible ... obviously just gelling as much as we can (with) 30 new players on a 46-man roster.
"We've got a mix of young and old playing on the weekend so we'll just see how that goes."
Gun midfielder Patrick Cripps will miss Saturday's game as he continues to recover from a stress reaction in his back but Weitering said he expected the 21-year-old to be available for round one against Richmond.
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