Nic Naitanui

Nic Naitanui
Personal information
Full name	Nicholas Naitanui
Nickname(s)	Nic Nat,[1] The Flying Fijian[2]
Date of birth	4 May 1990 (1990-05-04) (age 21)
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Original team	Swan Districts (WAFL)
Draft	pick No. 2, 2008 National Draft, West Coast Eagles
Height/Weight	201 cm / 101 kg[3]
Position(s)	Ruckman, ruck-rover
Club information
Current club	West Coast Eagles
Number	9
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2009–	West Coast Eagles	55 (30)
1 Playing statistics to end of PF 2011 season .

Nicholas "Nic" Naitanui (born 4 May 1990 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

Naitanui and his twin brother Mark were born in Sydney to Fijian parents (his mother, Ateca and father Bola, are from Suvavou, a small village near Suva), just two years after they first migrated to Australia.^[4] As a one year old, Nic’s father died, contributing to Nic’s mother’s decision to move her family to Perth, Western Australia where her brother lived.^[5]

Naitanui attended Governor Stirling Senior High School and played football there, as well as for his club, the Swan Districts Colts (underage) side in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). As a teenager he played football alongside Chris Yarran and Michael Walters, who both lived on the seemingly innocuous Bushby St in the suburb of Midvale and were later taken in the same AFL draft as Naitanui.^[6] During his time in junior and colts football, Nic played predominantly in the ruck, however he also was used on the wing or at full-back.^[7]

In the 2007 Under-18 AFL National Championships, Naitanui was dominant in the ruck for Western Australia, and was named Best On Ground in the final. Following his performance, he was hotly pursued by several AFL clubs. However, he was born just a few days too late to qualify for the 2007 AFL draft.^[8] He was named in the Under-18 All-Australian Team in both 2007 and 2008, and was awarded a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport to become a member of the AIS/AFL Academy Squad.^[9][10]

A much-hyped Naitanui was invited to the 2008 AFL Draft Camp and his results were impressive. He managed to equal the running vertical jump record previously set by Jared Brennan, but just fell short of Trent Croad's standing jump record. His sprint, agility and endurance tests were also impressive.

Many media commentators believed that Naitanui was in contention to be taken as the number 1 pick in the 2008 AFL Draft.^[7] The Melbourne Football Club, who retained that pick, had looked at Naitanui, but raised concerns about his skill level, in particular his kicking, and instead selected Victorian Jack Watts.

AFL career

Naitanui was taken at pick No. 2 overall in the 2008 AFL Draft by the West Coast Eagles.

As a highly rated future player by John Worsfold, Naitanui was given the number 9 guernsey, becoming the first West Coast Eagles player to wear the number since Brownlow Medalist and former captain Ben Cousins left the club at the end of the 2007 season. His first game at the senior level was on 13 June 2009 when he was named to play against Richmond in game 12 of the 2009 season.

His career suffered a setback, however, during pre-season training when he experienced knee soreness and had precautionary surgery.^[11]

Naitanui impressed enough in the WAFL in a game where he accumulated 15 possessions, 21 hit-outs, 4 goals and a spectacular mark, to earn his selection in the Round 12 against Richmond at Etihad Stadium.

His debut game impressed many, demonstrating his athletic ability with another spectacular mark as well as 3 kicks, 8 handballs, 3 marks and 7 hitouts.^[12] In his second game against premiers Hawthorn at Subiaco, Naitanui was quiet for the first three quarters but dazzled in the fourth, kicking three goals and leading his team to a come-from-behind win.^[13]

Natanui was honoured with a nomination for the NAB Rising Star in Round 4, 2010 in the West Coast Eagles win over the Essendon Bombers, a match where Natanui dominated with 13 disposals, 5 tackles and 17 hitouts. Naitanui took out the West Coast's Rookie of the Year Award for the 2010 Season and finished fifth in the 2010 Club Champion Award.

References

1. ^ Cox eases pressure on Nic Nat – ABCNews. Published 24 May 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
2. ^ Naitanui makes the leap of faith – Courier Mail. Written by Greg Davis. Published 17 December 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
3. ^ Player Profile. WAFL. Retrieved on 3 March 2009.
4. ^ Eagles pick up Naitanui Fiji Times Sunday, 30 November 2008
5. ^ Why Nic Naitanui is so special
6. ^ Quayle, Emma; A street named desire; 22 November 2008
7. ^ ^{a b} The four tops; 1 October 2008
8. ^ Timms, Daryl; No.1 draft choice Kreuzer picked in Nic of time; 26 November 2007
9. ^ O’Donoghue, Craig; Tiger pair get AFL camp call; 28 August 2008
10. ^ [1] AIS Athlete profile: Nicholas Naitanui
11. ^ Edmund, Sam (25 April 2009). "Nick Naitanui to miss match". Herald Sun (Australia). http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25382310-19774,00.html. Retrieved 3 June 2009. 
12. ^ Naitanui debut lives up to the hype
13. ^ Naitanui leads Eagles to win over Hawks

External links

• Nic Naitanui's statistics from AFL Tables

Persondata
Name	Naitanui, Nicholas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 May 1990
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Date of death
Place of death