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Naitanui debut has footy world buzzing

15/Jun/2009

By Chris Robinson

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EXCITING West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui gave the football world a glimpse of his talent in his much-anticipated AFL debut at the weekend.

Taken by West Coast with the second pick in last year’s national draft, the highly-rated 19-year-old played his first game for the club in Saturday night’s 15-point loss to Richmond.

And the young star’s athletic prowess was on display early, completing a towering pack mark deep in the Eagles’ forward line to announce his arrival on the scene.

He also set up a first-quarter goal with a cool handball under pressure and held his own in limited time in the ruck.

Naitanui finished the game with 11 possessions, seven hitouts and a better understanding of the break-neck speed of the game at the top level.

Although the Eagles do not have a game this weekend due to the AFL’s split round, he is expected to be rested from Swan Districts’ clash with Perth at Bassendean Oval to stay fresh for the remainder of the AFL season.

Swan Districts talent and pathways manager Greg Harding said he was pleased with what he saw from the young tall on Saturday night.

“It was super exciting to watch, and it’s what we’ve been seeing here (at Swan Districts) for two or three years now,” he said.

“He took a bit of time to get used to the pace of the game, but certainly didn’t take long to show everyone how athletically gifted he is.

“That mark in the goal square was a great indication of what he can do - and it’s probably only about half as high as he can jump.”

Harding said the early exposure to AFL football would help fast-track Naitanui’s development.

“It’s all about consistency of effort and getting to more contests, and that’s something he will continue to get better at as he goes on,” he said.

“We still think he’s probably four or five years off his best footy, so it’s amazing to think what he might be able to do when he reaches his potential.”

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