EXCITING Swan Districts 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 as he completed a towering pack mark in the Eagles’ forward line to announce his arrival.
He also set up a first-quarter goal with a cool handball under pressure.
Naitanui finished the game with 11 possessions, seven hitouts, and a better understanding of the breakneck 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.
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.”
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.