SAM Weideman says he’s excited at the prospect of playing next to last year’s NAB AFL Rising Star winner Jesse Hogan.

Weideman, who was drafted at No.9 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, said he couldn’t wait to become another key forward option next to Hogan.

“It’s a very exciting time for the club – we’re a young group and we’ve got plenty of positive, good players coming through,” he told Melbourne TV.

“I hope that it will be a successful future for all at the club. It’d be unreal to play with him (Hogan) for many years, but one step at a time, because I haven’t played a game yet.

“I want to crack into the side as soon as I can and then we’ll take it from there.”

Weideman said he had already learned plenty from his key forward teammates, including premiership player Chris Dawes and last year’s NAB AFL Rising Star Jesse Hogan.

“It’s been really good for me, especially being a young guy coming through the system,” he said.

“Guys like Hoges and Dawesy have been giving me an insight into how things go as a forward, and the different ways I can improve and develop my game.

“It’s been great working with them, seeing how they put together their training and how they work on their craft. They’ve been really good for me and I’m definitely learning a lot off them – they’ve been fantastic.”