AFL officials sing Naitanui's praise June 30, 2009
Fiji born Nicholas Naitanui has impressed Western Eagles officials with his superb performance in the weekend where he kicked three goals in a golden last quarter that sent the drenched Eagles fans wild.
Despite a big win over reigning premiers Hawthorn, and 100km/h winds lashing Western Australia, the Eagles were called to a beach session at 7am as they prepared to try to buck their recent horror run on the road.
That attempt will see Naitanui play his first ever AFL game at the MCG against lowly Melbourne, and see a potential face-off between the Eagles number two draft pick and the young man the Demons preferred to him, young gun Jack Watts, the WA today reports.
While Eagles skipper Darren Glass said early comparisons between the two were unfair, star ruckman and Naitanui's mentor Dean Cox said the dreadlocked star's presence had already inspired his teammates.
"He was fantastic. He has not stepped in and absolutely dominated the game, but he has done things in the game that have inspired his teammates," Cox said.
"His tackling, his pressure, his harassing of the ball carrier - he is a like a panther or a cheetah.
"I sat in the coaching box and was fortunate enough to know they were going to bring Nick off after he kicked those three goals.
"As the he got closer to the bench the whole wing has stood up and deservedly so. It was the second time I have seen that - the first time was Ben Cousins' return against Sydney.
"I have never smiled or laughed so much at a game of football as I did in that last quarter - the pure excitement of what he brought to our football club
"The playing group love having him around."
Last year's Norm Smith medallist Luke Hodge said the young man had been in the right place at the right time against the ailing Hawks.
"He was in the right spot at the right time," Hodge said.
"Some of the stuff he did showed his agility for a 6'5" bloke, To smother and the ability to go around a couple of guys and kick a goal.
"All of his goals came from our turnovers and he was in the right spot in the right time to kick them."
Cox, who is doubtful to take his place in the Eagles engine room as he struggles with groin soreness, said Naitanui's willingness to learn was his most impressive attribute.
"The best thing about Nick is his willingness to learn, he sits in meetings with a notepad and pen, and knows where he is at with his development and how much work he has to do," Cox told radio 6PR.
"You have got a player that is very level headed, knows what he wants in AFL and he'll get it. Hopefully he continues it on next week."
"Big Nick's game, that 15-minute patch, was very exciting and I have got no doubt we are going to see a lot more than that," Coach John Worsfold said.
"And it will become more consistent as he matures into the game. But for the meantime we will see patches of it and it will be exciting.
"He is a very raw footballer really, we see it at training he will drop chest marks when you think they are a given, and fumble some balls.
"But then he will jump on a ruck bag and almost jump over it and do some of the things we saw him do last night.
"That is why his improvement will be over along period of time."
Rookies Chris Masten, Brad Ebert and Scott Selwood also showed why Worsfold is so confident his new two-year contract will be long enough to make the Eagles a power again.
But it was Naitanui's intervention that almost overshadowed the defeat of the reigning premiers.
Glass said while the spotlight that has been on Naitanui since his under-18 exploits for WA will get brighter, he has no doubts he will be able to handle the pressure.
"I don’t think Nick is going to have any issues on that regard, he is a pretty level headed kid ... you will see him handle the perceived extra pressure that comes with his high profile," Glass said.
"He's got a good head on his shoulders.
"We have seen some pretty special players come through here, Ben Cousins and Chris Judd, and he is already got that cult following.
"He found a way to contribute, he had a pretty quiet game up to that point so the fact he did not drop his bundle and found a way to contribute was the most pleasing thing.
"He certainly played a big role in the win and he is able to do those freakish things.
"There are going to be some expectations on him but within the club we are concentrating on what he can do on the training track and how he develops as a player."
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