Why Josh Weddle wants to wear navy blue, and the 'shock' result that lit the fire

JOSH Weddle wants to join the family business. It won't be anytime soon. But when his time in the AFL is over, the Hawthorn star plans on swapping the brown and gold for the navy blue uniform worn by both of his parents.

Senior Sergeant Jarrod Weddle and Senior Constable Tania Perry have worked for Victoria Police for more than 30 years. They met at Carlton police station in 1991 after progressing through the academy in the late 1980s.

Victoria Police courses through Weddle's veins. Josh's uncle has been in the same game for just as long, while his sister Jamie joined the force a few years ago.

Weddle has played 59 games across his first three seasons at Waverley Park, establishing himself as one of the most versatile, damaging young players in the game. His ceiling is higher than most. Almost anything feels possible. But when this career eventually ends, a future fighting crime beckons.

The 21-year-old wants to become a member of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) or join the Special Operations Group (SOG), who are currently searching Porepunkah, Bright and the surrounding districts for accused cop killer Dezi Freeman.

"I always thought I wanted to do something in sport. I loved my basketball as a kid, even more than footy. That was going really well and then I had a bit of a switch during COVID and thought that footy is more me. That's been a good decision in the end," Weddle told AFL.com.au ahead of Friday night's preliminary final against Geelong.

"But after footy, it would be cool to join the CIRT or the SOG. They do the high-end police work. I think that would be a cool career. The special operations group do a lot of the raids and bikie stuff, obviously you have to start in the academy and work your way up, but that's what I'm thinking."

Not many people grow up with one, let alone two police officers at home. Friends at school joked that Weddle couldn't get away with anything, although he doesn't subscribe to that theory. But he was told stories around the dinner table others only hear on podcasts or watch on TV.

"They couldn't go into too much detail, but Dad loved telling some stories, obviously on a PG level when we were younger," Weddle said. "We felt very protected at home. They taught me very good morals and how to stay out of trouble. I think it was a very good upbringing that they provided for me and my two sisters."

Tania's cookies have a cult following at Hawthorn. Brian Taylor brought national attention to them via his Roaming Brian segment on Channel Seven after the elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs last September. Hawks players have been eating her gingerbread fondue creations, customised with the face of the player to mark milestones, over the past couple of years.

"Mum loves rewarding people for their good efforts," Weddle explained. "Every time someone reaches a milestone game, whether that's 50 games or 100, 150 etc she created it last year and it hit off. When BT saw her in the rooms it really took off. She has kept it going. I got to receive my first batch of cookies for my 50th the other week. She loves cooking and doing things for people that she thinks are doing a good job."

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LONG before Weddle established himself as one of the best two-way runners in football, he started by running around the neighbourhood with his mum in primary school. By the time he arrived at Waverley Park, he'd just tested better than almost anyone at the 2022 Draft Combine, finishing fourth in the 2km time trial (6:03) after running the ninth-fastest 20m sprint (2.937 seconds) to flaunt his blend of speed and endurance.

That athletic prowess has soared under the guidance of Hawks high performance boss Peter Burge, but it developed many years ago on the streets of Eltham and Montmorency when others were still in bed. Weddle became one of the best cross country runners of his age in the state and represented Victoria at national level.

"Mum got me on running very early," he said. "When I was about seven we started. Even before that, when she would run I would ride the bike and by seven I started running with her. We did 5km most mornings. Then we did the Eltham fun run and I beat her by three minutes and I was like 'wow, I'm actually pretty good at this'.

"I pursued it at primary school and represented Victoria in cross country and did pretty well at it. I lost a bit of love for it when I moved into high school. It wasn't such a big thing. Then footy came around for Oakleigh tryouts and I came like 15th and I was in shock. That shouldn't have happened. That year COVID hit in 2020 and I thought I've got to put the foot down. I found the love for it again and started running with a bloke from school who got me back to my peak fitness."

Weddle surged up draft boards across 2022, but he wasn't on the radar of any clubs heading into the summer of his top-age year. The Oakleigh Chargers invited him to do the pre-season after overlooking him as a bottom-ager and at under-16 level. Jason Davenport, who is now head of development at Greater Western Sydney, saw something others didn't.

At that stage, Weddle was finishing Year 11 at Eltham High School, but believed playing in the APS competition would put him under the noses of more recruiters. Caulfield Grammar offered him a scholarship. Instead, he joined Carey Grammar as a full fee-paying student and produced a year that resulted in him playing all four games for Vic Metro in the national championships, before becoming a first-round bolter.

"At the end of 2021 I got asked to come back to Oakleigh by Jase Davenport. He invited me down to come and train. I didn't play 16s or 17s at Oakleigh. He saw something in me, liked how I trained and my will. I was invited down for 18s. I thought if I wanted to be serious about footy I had to go somewhere," he said.

"There were lots of people telling me that APS footy had heaps of scouts watching. I thought if people are saying that and you see how many drafted players attend APS schools. I made the move and convinced Mum and Dad that I was going to take it seriously. Decided on Carey and the year went very well for me."

Weddle met with every club in his draft year. Greater Western Sydney appeared keenest, despite indications he might return south. Hawthorn interviewed Weddle three times, including a meeting in the board room at Waverley Park in August where the then nervous teenager left sweat marks on the chair, returning to the car dripping wet.

The Hawks didn't have a pick in his projected range. Until they did. Hawthorn, famously, traded up from pick No.27 to No.18 on draft night in a deal with Sydney, sneaking ahead of the picks the Giants used on Darcy Jones (No.21) and Max Gruzeswki (No.22) to select Weddle, after the Swans forced GWS to match a bid for Harry Rowston at pick No.16.

"That night I'm sitting there with all my friends and family, very, very nervous," he recalled. "I had no idea the direction I was going. I was unsure but I thought GWS were very, very keen. The picks I thought I was around they were coming along, but the Hawthorn trade came in. I looked at Dad and the rest is history. I was very, very happy that night."

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SOMETHING didn't feel right against North Melbourne in round 16. Weddle just didn't realise it was as bad as it was. He had felt it for weeks, but not like he did that day at University of Tasmania Stadium. Scans two days later revealed a stress fracture in his back, almost ending his season.

Hawthorn wasn't overly confident Weddle would play again in 2025. They didn't want to risk his long-term health for short-term gain. But they never put a line through him. One session at a time, Weddle hit every marker he needed to across two months to return in a VFL final for Box Hill. That was enough for Sam Mitchell to pick him in the qualifying final against Greater Western Sydney. That decision is one reason why Hawthorn is playing on the penultimate weekend of September for the first time since 2015.

"During the North game I definitely felt a bit of pain through the lower back. I had stiffness higher up in the two or three weeks leading into that game. They didn't really think anything of it. During that game it was getting really painful on the right side of my glute. After the flight home we got a scan and I didn't think much of it. I hadn't had other issues previously, but then I got the ring on the drove home and told me I had a stress fracture in my L5," he said on Monday.

"The doctor Liam West was pretty confident that if all things went well I could get back. He was pretty transparent and said if I ticked off things and certain times, as the weeks were passing [Hawthorn rehabilitation coordinator] Jack Price was telling me that there was discussion around the VFL game. For me to come back for that game I had to have a perfect run. I got back and the scan six days before that game was pretty much perfect."

During his time on the sidelines, Weddle moved out of home for the first time and in with Dylan Moore, just down the road from the Kennedy Community Centre. So far, so good. His parents made it up to Sydney and across to Adelaide. His Dad has only missed two of his AFL games – one of them was due to fog in Tasmania cancelling flights – while his Mum has been there for all but a handful.

They will be there alongside almost 100,000 other people at the MCG on Friday night for the biggest game of Weddle's career. Tania will have another batch of cookies ready to mark Massimo D'Ambrosio's 50th game for Hawthorn. If they are smiling while eating them, it will mean Hawthorn is off to a sixth Grand Final this century. Weddle is just getting started in this business, but he has one eye on the family business.

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