If Natanui slides...

[Mario Speedwagon]

....should we take him.

Think about it...question marks have started to be raised regarding him, particularly since the carnival...Melbourne may be reluctant to take a WA player, WCE will get Rich and, especially if Warnock stays, Freo will have may consider their ruck stocks covered. Carlton may grab him , but they got Kruezer last year. This leaves Essendon , Port , and Brisbane to pass him over before our turn, unlikely scenario , but not totally beyond the realms of possibilty IMO. Remember draft camp is still ahead, and players could overtake him if not in the "vertical leap" analysis at least in overall calculations.

Personally I think he's a player that will only go one of two ways...an absolute superstar or a dud with the occassional "highlight reel" moment and from what I saw of him at the U'18's , I'm inclined towards the latter, so at this stage I say NO.

Probably all moot , but it's the silly season for us anyway and it's going to be a long one , so what say you?

 

[Heisenberg_]

Great athlete.
Shit footballer, that the impression I get from what I have seen, not much idea of the game and average skills at best.
Sounds just like Fremantle

 

[cormick]

If he's available at there pick, Port will take him.
Otherwise Bombers.
Otherwise Blues.

So he wont be at our pick.
But I'd pick him if he was!

 

[UpTheGuts]

I couldn't bear it if we overlooked him at 8. Surely he would be a superstar...

Pick 8 is hardly betting the house and given our ruck needs we'd be mad not to take him. Absolutely nuts. Remember this is the guy who pantsed Kreuzer at the Champs LAST year

Anyway, who we pick at 8 is important but our record at developing players with later picks and off the rookie list has been v good the last few years, so pick 8 is not the be all and end all some think. Tom Swift at 42 may well in time be shown to be worthy of a Top 10.

That's where Cameron will earn his money - not taking the best available at 8.

Back to Nick Nat - he absolutely will not slide to us, but we would HAVE to pick him if he did.

 

[Heisenberg_]

He only really pantsed him in the ruck contests, around the ground Kruezer definatly had the better of him

 

[RichosGuns]

Natanui would be good in a side that has excellent development. A team like West Coast, Collingwood or Geelong. At Richmond he would be Oakley Nicholls Mk II

 

[PHX]

He only really pantsed him in the ruck contests, around the ground Kruezer definatly had the better of him

Not to mention for the clear hit-outs he gets his hitouts to advantage are far too low from the videos I've seen.

 

[UpTheGuts]

He would look very dashing in our jumper...

I would be actively against us taking him if we had a top 3 pick but with No. 8, that's getting into territory where you can afford a bit of speculation. Yep, I'd take him for sure.

 

[thecotch]

could he be worse than JON or pettifer at pick 8? I doubt it very much.

 

[PHX]

could he be worse than JON or pettifer at pick 8? I doubt it very much.

It's possible.
ANything is.

 

[Tigertom]

I have heard a number of "experts" over the years say that a good ruckman only becomes so in his mid to late twenties(Build up the body, learn the fine points of rucking?).I am no expert on rucks but most seem to be at their best at this age.

If so and given whats been posted on this board in recent weeks about 21 & 22 yr olds being trade bait or delisting then Why are we looking at 18yr old rucks?

We should be looking at trading for a 23+ ruck now for our future time line.

Jolly last night was a perfect example.

I would say no to Natanui

 

[Bojangles17]

Great athlete.
Shit footballer, that the impression I get from what I have seen, not much idea of the game and average skills at best.
Sounds just like Fremantle

my sentiments exactly, I sure hope he's gone by our pick, hate to have this in the hands of the tiges to decide on

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

How ordinary would it be if we had pick one?
You can't win,take him and he is a dud(very good chance) and you never hear the end of it,imagine cogga and beaver!
Skip him and he turns out better than Wayne Carey,imagine cogga and beaver!
You just know that if it were our pick,we would make the wrong call either way.

 

[beaver fever]

If he is the best available then pick him. Nothing wrong if he doesn't turn out, just don't keep him on the list forever hoping for some miraculous improvement.

 

[nut]

ok we let him slip to 9....... and he turns out to be Franklin Mark II.....

 

[THE_GUN]

natanui could become anything , but probably will end up a player along the lines of brennan or white (brisbane) he wont be a buddy franklin.

if it was a choice of vickery or natanui ......... i,ll take the safe bet vickery

 

[deliberate!!]

I believed the early media hype till I saw him in the carnival.
Yes, he's an athlete, but no football accountability (maybe that can be taught)
Runs to every contest like a mad sheep dog and then gets caught out at other times. No second effort. (Again, maybe that can be taught.....maybe)
Too mercurial for my liking.

I did like the smaller indigenous WA Forwards though.(Whatever their names were) Those boys can play.

But if Natanui fell into our lap, we'd have to take him, just for being a 'mystery' pick.

 

[Les Grossman]

Looks Like the classic man playing against boys scenario.

He kills it through juniors with a body capable of more than his peers.
When he actually needs to think about how to use his talent against those closer to his capabilities can he do it?

Has he played much senior football over there? If so how has he been going?

I did see that mark of his on almost footy legends. That was a cracker.

 

[The Dice Man]

Love the way he tackles...


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[Top_4_Tiger]

I would take Naitanui at Pick 1 - I am so excited to see this kid's career evolve!

My only problem is that the ruck position in general is pretty useless unless they get around the ground. But put him up forward there is simply NO way you could stop him. His tackling is absolutely awesome too, his teammates would love him on their team.

He's twice as fast as Buddy, twice as athletic, three times more aggressive and surely can't be worse in front of goal!

 

[Tigertom]

If he is a good as some of you say on this thread then we wont have to worry about him at pick 8.

If he is still their at pick 8 and we pick him then.........

I still dont think we will have to worry as if TW gets his way we will trade 8 for KERR

 

[richcogs]

How about we trade Tambling and pick 8 (Johnston) for Warnock and pick 3 (Rich). I don't think Freo would do that but meh throw it out there!

 

[beaver fever]

How about we trade Tambling and pick 8 (Johnston) for Warnock and pick 3 (Rich). I don't think Freo would do that but meh throw it out there!

Only players they would trade pick 3 for are Cotchin, Deledio and Foley.

 

[Sheed]

If Nat slides to us at 8, i'm sorry, its a no brainer! A freakish athlete already, he'll learn the nuances of ruck work with experience. He could very well win every ruck tap.

At the very least he'd be a great trade chip to have.

 

[mitch richmond]

Just out of interest, if we took Natanui how long would people give him before they wanted him traded or sacked?
1 - Until he was 19 like JON and Tambo copped?
2 - Kelvin Moore averaged 6 games a year before this year. Would we wait that long?
3 - Would we wait for his body to develop over a few pre-seasons and then when he becomes a regular goal kicker and kicks 99 goals in 3 years, then call for his head?