I haven't seen Naita or Rich play, so a question to those that have -

I've read Naitanui described as very athletic and a great jump, yet he doesn't seem to rack up the possessions. I also haven't heard people talk about him taking strong contested grabs. Does he kick goals?

How quick is Rich?

I don't have all the answers, but as a 19 year old in his first AFL year Dean Cox played 17 matches and averaged 7 possessions and 10 hitouts. Naitanui in his first senior year at WAFL is averaging 13 possessions, 20 hitouts and a goal a game. Obviously 200cm players take time, but with Naitanui's freakish genetic advantage and already impressive development, it's no wonder recruiters are very interested. At 18 I believe that his stats are very impressive.

I've included a link to Cox's career to date.

http://finalsiren.com/PlayerStats.asp?PlayerID=750

They're some impressive stats for Naitanui considering his age and experience, yeah - thanks for the info. I wonder what Cox's stats were in 2000, when he won the Simpson Medal. Picking up ruckman seems to be pretty speculative - Cox was rookie-listed, and many of the senior AFL rucks these days have come via the rookie list or a low draft pick. I imagine it's pretty tough to guess how young talls will develop.

And Boi, if he'll never be able to outmark a 6 footer why do supposed experts salivate over him. Are they stupid, or you're just too clever ?

Because a) he stands out appearance wise and B) provided he gets drafted he'll be just about the most athletic player the AFL has seen

Which means nothing if he can't play the game

And by the sounds of it Hurley is a similar player to what Lukas Markovic was (though obviously better). Natural backman who gets swung forward occasionally to great success. As a backman what is his closing speed like? (For those who may have seen him)

Because a) he stands out appearance wise and B) provided he gets drafted he'll be just about the most athletic player the AFL has seen

Which means nothing if he can't play the game

And by the sounds of it Hurley is a similar player to what Lukas Markovic was (though obviously better). Natural backman who gets swung forward occasionally to great success. As a backman what is his closing speed like? (For those who may have seen him)

OK, you're just too clever.

article on Watts in The age today. Very Interesting

article on Watts in The age today. Very Interesting

If we could get him and Jetta with picks 17 & 18 I'll be absolutely stoked.

As the article implied.. recruiters don tmake their decision now..they are just watching.. Be interesting to see what they al decide on come later in the year. Going to a very influential draft this year inst it. We cant afford to get this wrong.or even half right, we have to nail it.

Scott Clayton who's widely considered the best recruiter in town was interviewed today on AW. When asked who he'd take between Rich and Naitanui he responded "I'd be calling Naitanui's name out pretty quickly. People are talking a lot about Buddy Franklin, but at the same age I can say that Naitanui is the most exciting talent I've ever seen. And it's not just his rucking but also his ability to go forward."

Hmmm. I wonder if he can mark over a 6' mid ?

Hmmm. I wonder if he can mark over a 6' mid ?

word has it flight controllers will be informed about days he plays...just to keep the air safe...

just wondering if anyone here knows of footage of NN in action floating around on the web anywhere? i havnt seen him play but would like to have a glimpse...

Hannabal, you seem very decisive that NN will be the number 1 pick, and you're normally pretty spot on with your judgement of players. so i am wondering, you have said that he is a risk with a massive upside...do you think he'll make it? or do you think we simply have to take the risk because if it works the outcome will be amazing? and also, what sort of player do you think he'll become, ruck or forward? tall mid? how do you see him playing? i realise you've seen only two games, but thats two more than i've seen...

just wondering if anyone here knows of footage of NN in action floating around on the web anywhere? i havnt seen him play but would like to have a glimpse...

Hannabal, you seem very decisive that NN will be the number 1 pick, and you're normally pretty spot on with your judgement of players. so i am wondering, you have said that he is a risk with a massive upside...do you think he'll make it? or do you think we simply have to take the risk because if it works the outcome will be amazing? and also, what sort of player do you think he'll become, ruck or forward? tall mid? how do you see him playing? i realise you've seen only two games, but thats two more than i've seen...

Okay, I know I shouldn't compare apples and oranges, but;

Buddy Franklin, freakishly talent, massive upside, gigantic, quick, great leap yadda yadda pre-draft hype but was a complete tosspot with a poor attitude.

From what I've seen in a few interviews, Naitanui has a fantastic, positive, refreshing attitude, he works hard (and his transition to the game required hard work) I don't see a reason why he wouldn't make it, yet how on earth would H know? He might get injured in his first game.

We need Naitanui..and we need tto finish last. end of story. if we dont this yr..and we go [censored] next yr, Gold Coast will rob us of any top picks..the more picks we get this season the better too...trading for picks will be up on the agenda..

Okay, I know I shouldn't compare apples and oranges, but;

Buddy Franklin, freakishly talent, massive upside, gigantic, quick, great leap yadda yadda pre-draft hype but was a complete tosspot with a poor attitude.

From what I've seen in a few interviews, Naitanui has a fantastic, positive, refreshing attitude, he works hard (and his transition to the game required hard work) I don't see a reason why he wouldn't make it, yet how on earth would H know? He might get injured in his first game.

ok obviously there are issues such as injuries, and obviously H isnt an oracle (although if the oracle is around and knows the future, he/she is more than welcome to comment here ). but H spoke about potential up side to NN. now for example, we have all seen and heard about newton and he's upside. he was a punt that at this stage hasnt come off. i was asking, from what H has seen, read and heard, does NN have attributes that will help him fufill potnetial.

you have just answered my question. he is hard working etc which suggests he has more potential to fulfill his potential than a player who has some attitude problems, struggles with some things (ie an outside player who needs to be given the footy might struggle to fufill potential at afl level because he cant get enough of it).

so what i was wondering about was the 'likelihood of fulfilling potential'. obviously external factors like injuries cant be considered, unless it is known that he has particular injuries concerns ie dodgy knees that could affect him...

Buddy Franklin, freakishly talent, massive upside, gigantic, quick, great leap yadda yadda pre-draft hype but was a complete tosspot with a poor attitude.

out of interest here, franklin may be off the page RE his off field efforts but what was he like on field? my understanding was that he worked reasonably hard, and still did team things like shepherds and little knock ons to other players even when he was struggling, not geting the footy or kicking goals?

ok obviously there are issues such as injuries, and obviously H isnt an oracle

I'm not ?

Ox, I really know little about Naita's on field exploits. Like many here I try and read as much as I can because there's not much else to get enthused about in 08. So I find myself trawling disdainful places like BF to get as much info as possible. I've been on the WC and Freo's forums to hear from people that have seen him live. I've seen a bit of footage of him, but never even see him play on the tube, so unfortunately, I'm no wealth of information. I know his manager so tried probing a little without wanting to be annoying.

Thus far it seems that he'll end up being more of an Adam Goodes than a typical ruckman. His leap is incredible and his inside and clearance work around the stoppages also impressive. He's very aggressive, strong, a great tackler, and he's fast. He apparently needs to work on his kicking, but a West Coast supporter who queried this aspect of his game was impressed with his kicking at a WAFL game, so it may not be as bad as some make out. Because of the hype there will be some inclined to pick holes in his game, but those paid to make recruiting decisions are in awe of his talent.

He may be a boom or bust pick, but I hope like hell he's wearing red and blue next year. Not only will he be the talk of the town, he could be the franchise player we've been dreaming about. If he lives up to expectations he'll be a marketer's dream and give membership sales a huge boost.

Rich may well be the safer bet, but there's no guarantees with any player.

there is a BIG chance we wont get the number 1 pick so I dont know why everyone are counting their eggs. At the moment, Carlton and Richmond have their hands on picks 1 and 2 unless they win some more games...and if we beat either freo or essendon than we could find ourselves with a pick 3 or something..so any talk about Naitanui is pretty stupid.

there is a BIG chance we wont get the number 1 pick so I dont know why everyone are counting their eggs. At the moment, Carlton and Richmond have their hands on picks 1 and 2 unless they win some more games...and if we beat either freo or essendon than we could find ourselves with a pick 3 or something..so any talk about Naitanui is pretty stupid.

In over 700 posts you've had a mortgage on stupidity, so I would have thought you'd be comfortable in this thread. That said, in light of your views I don't expect to see you on this thread again.

Also, assuming Richmond beat us then one of Richmond or Carlton must fail to qualify for a PP as they play each other. Anything can happen, but I'd say that we're pretty safe with pick 1.

Blues are officially out of the running for priority picks.

What a game, far out

What a game, far out

Yep, listened to the last quarter. Just about the only time I've ever wanted the Blues to win. Now, if they go on to miss the finals, and we finish with four wins while ending up with pick one, I'll be happy.

Most of the clubs in Victoria use the draft to try to rebuild their team and tank to ensure that they get early draft picks; on the other hand clubs in other states try to build around existing players by careful and select player choice. We appear, like some of the other clubs, to be searching for a Saviour both on and off the field, we expect a white Knight to come along with money, a coach that will turn a crap list in to a team of champions, and a number one draft pick that will win games off his own boot.

We will only get one pick in the top ten this year and whether it's Naita or Rich we can't expect him to make the difference between last and top four. We seem to dwell far too long on what will be and not enough on what is, and what is at the moment is not all that flash. We therefore should be more interested in the progress of the players on the list and hope that they will win some games because as sure as hell one player won't make that big a difference, just ask Carlton.

We have to change the attitude of the players, the board and the supporters and start to expect more from those that we are currently paying to represent us.

From June 4th:

Nick Naitanui - One of the big guns only had the eight disposals, but he had 20 hit outs and six tackles. He is unique. I haven't seen many players with that type of agility and ability to jump in the ruck. Also at ground level, his second and third efforts and the way he follows up is fantastic. The way he picks up the ball, sidesteps and takes on the opposition is great. But the thing for me in this match was to see him chase and tackle and not many of those tackles were in-close grab-'em tackles. They were chase downs of small, quick midfielders. So you can see why everyone gets excited and there is definite potential there. Nick's footy education is also coming along, but we mustn't forget he's still new to the game. We probably got to try and keep a lid on him a bit, even though he is a freak athlete.

In today's game vs SA, Naitanui was among the best and kicked a goal, don't know about stats though.

Most of the clubs in Victoria use the draft to try to rebuild their team and tank to ensure that they get early draft picks; on the other hand clubs in other states try to build around existing players by careful and select player choice. We appear, like some of the other clubs, to be searching for a Saviour both on and off the field, we expect a white Knight to come along with money, a coach that will turn a crap list in to a team of champions, and a number one draft pick that will win games off his own boot.

We will only get one pick in the top ten this year and whether it's Naita or Rich we can't expect him to make the difference between last and top four. We seem to dwell far too long on what will be and not enough on what is, and what is at the moment is not all that flash. We therefore should be more interested in the progress of the players on the list and hope that they will win some games because as sure as hell one player won't make that big a difference, just ask Carlton.

We have to change the attitude of the players, the board and the supporters and start to expect more from those that we are currently paying to represent us.

I think Dean Dailey and Chris Connolly are the men for this.

...

We have to change the attitude of the players, the board and the supporters and start to expect more from those that we are currently paying to represent us.

All good points.

I think that people should try and look at this game Melbourne v West Coast, 2004 and look at who is playing on each team.

Up until the end of last year, the team wasn't a lot different and it shows how well these players could once play against a top quality opposition.

All good points.

I think that people should try and look at this game Melbourne v West Coast, 2004 and look at who is playing on each team.

Up until the end of last year, the team wasn't a lot different and it shows how well these players could once play against a top quality opposition.

SAMPI!!!

Robbo always played awesome against WCE, I miss 2004.