Nothing stresses Aaron Naughton, as Mark Robinson finds out in his one-on-one chat with the Bulldogs tall
From state footy to an AFL regular in his first season, to a long-term deal, one might think the Aaron Naughton’s head would be spinning. But MARK ROBINSON found out not much fazes the Bulldogs teenager.
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Aaron Naughton doesn’t have a stress in the world — that’s what he says anyhow.
And the amount of times his slightly pimpled face explodes with a smile under his wispy white moustache, you can’t not believe him.
And he should be happy.
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A day after agreeing to a four-year contract extension at the Bulldogs, which makes him the longest signed player at the club, the budding 19-year-old sensation says: “I’m just loving it at the club.’’
The contract means he will spend the first seven seasons of his AFL career at the kennel and most likely the remainder there as well.
“It’s more old fashioned to say one-club player ... but I’m a player who values loyalty and trust,’’ he says.
Having grown up in Western Australia after leaving Victoria when he was nine — and therefore inviting fears of the go-home factor — words such as trust and loyalty would make all Bulldogs smile.
In a short time — he plays his 22nd game against Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night — the high-flying backmen-cum-forward has the football world talking.
About where he should play, forward or back, about his contested marking, about his fearless want to launch at the ball and, for expectant Bulldogs fans, about whether the No.9 draft pick will become the club’s next generational player.
The hype, he says, is not an issue and in fact the only aspect which annoys him about playing football in Melbourne is the cold weather.
“Not a lot annoys me to be honest,’’ he says.
“I’ve been a casual character all the way through, it’s just the way I am.’’
So, you don’t stress about football? “Nuh.”
Launching at the footy?
“Nuh, I just launch pretty much. You’ve got to back yourself in.’’
Kicking for goal?
“Nuh. I’ve got a routine I go through and just back it in. It’s pretty simple. Five and five. Five steps, five jogs and kick.”
Pressure of being the club’s first pick and the expectations that come with it?
“Not really. That’s probably more for people outside of footy. Being a top-10 draft pick there is that little bit of pressure, but I’m not fussed about it. I just back in the strengths of my game and that will hold me in good stead.’’
Pressure of playing straight-up Round 1 last year?
“I’ve been lucky in a sense that I’ve been able to play a lot of early games and I haven’t had to worry about the stress of selection too much as most young players do,” he says.
“I got a little bit lucky with Marcus Adams and Dale Morris getting injured early last year and giving me a shot in the JLT (Series) and be able to play good enough footy to get selected and hold my spot for the season.’’
The likes of Jonathan Brown, Wayne Carey and Paul Roos heaping praise?
“To have greats of the game speak highly of you does make you feel good.’’
The media? “Nuh. But I didn’t think this was going to be two pages (in the paper), as you say, I thought it was going to be a little article.’’
A big head? “Nuh, I just do my job.’’
Clearly, his parents have raised him well.
“I am thankful that’s the way I approach life and footy,’’ he says.
“It’s a pretty high-pressured environment and blokes are always looking at what’s wrong and that can play on their minds. I think it’s a positive I’m not too stressed about that stuff.’’
The stress-free persona is half inherited from his folks.
“Mum can stress out a little bit,’’ he laughed.
“Me and dad are pretty similar. We’ve got these photos of my old man in Year 3 and myself in Year 3 and we’re pretty much identical, same smile, same everything.
“I’m pretty much a stunt double for him in terms of personality. But, yeah, mum definitely, she’s the one who keeps us in line.’’
Naughton is the youngest boy of Gabby and Wayne.
He has an older brother Travis, 22, who played state football at under-16 and under-18 level, but wasn’t drafted.
He grew up in Langwarrin on acreage — and remembers riding dirt bikes with Travis — before the family moved to Rockingham, which is a town of 20,000 on the ocean between Fremantle and Mandurah.
He played footy for the Rams, played state under-16s and first realised he was a chance for the AFL when he was invited to the state’s under-18 summer program as a bottom-age player.
At 17, he played the last seven games for Peel Thunder as a key defender.
If there was a match which impressed the scouts, it was his second senior game against Subiaco, in which he had 20 disposals and took 10 marks.
Just a few months later, it was draft week and it’s the only time he admits life was a bit quick for him.
He finished Year 12 exams, joined schoolies at Dunsborough for half a week, mum picked him up on Wednesday, he flew to Sydney on Thursday, was drafted Friday, did media Saturday morning in Sydney and flew to Perth in the afternoon.
“And I flew out to Melbourne on the Sunday and was sleeping in Mitch Wallis’s spare room Sunday night,’’ he said.
The only strand of that week which wasn’t stressful was schoolies.
“Yeah,’’ he smiles, “Schoolies was stress free.’’
Naughton is 91kgs and 195cm.
Height is another family trait.
“Dad’s 6’2, I’m 6’5, Travis is 6’2, so I’ve got him covered, and mum’s about 5’11,’’ he says.
“Both my grandads are plus six foot, mum’s dad is 6’4, so it runs in the family.’’
The talent is a query.
“Dad hasn’t said much about his footy career. I never asked him. He said one day he’ll tell me. I think he played local ... he grew up in Wangaratta.’’
Naughton, who grew up a Collingwood supporter, was the first player drafted out of Western Australia and the first key backman taken in his 2017 year.
A season and three games into his career, he’s now a key forward.
He says he’d prefer to play as a defender.
Coach Luke Beveridge first swung him forward against North Melbourne in Round 14 last year and he kicked two goals.
The next week he was opposed to Geelong’s Mark Blicavs. He didn’t kick a goal.
It says plenty about his belief in his own running game that he tried to run Blicavs ragged. “Yeah, I coudn’t blow him up,’’ he said.
“I don’t mind my tank, but he was a different beast.’’
Over summer, he trained with the defenders, but in the week before JLT2 against St Kilda in Ballarat, Beveridge tapped him on the shoulder.
“I played the first JLT and the whole pre-season as a defender, and then on the Tuesday that week Bevo told me ‘we’re going to change things up a bit, we need someone forward to create a contest’’’.
Across the first three rounds, he’s kicked five goals and taken 18 marks, equal parts contested and uncontested.
“This year is the most I’ve ever played forward,’’ he said.
“I’m still learning and growing, and who knows, at the end of the year if I play good footy, I might love it down there and never want to move back.’’
Beveridge clearly wants Naughton and Josh Schache, 21, to be the forward pillars.
Naughton’s not opposed.
“With both of us being young key position players and not having played a lot footy together, we’re starting to build,” he says.
“We don’t put too much pressure on each other to kick goals, but the more we do play together we could be a dangerous duo.’’
In Round 4, the pair play Collingwood in what will be Naughton’s fourth appearance at the MCG.
He first played against the Pies in the JLT series last season and says that first exposure against his childhood heroes such as Scott Pendlebury, Ben Reid and Steele Sidebottom was weird.
It won’t be this time, though.
Because there’s no pressure about playing Friday night football at the MCG, right?
“Nuh. But it will be pretty special,” he says.
“The games I have played there have a different feeling for me. This will be my first Friday night at the ’G and Friday night is always a big night of footy.’’
He thinks Darcy Moore will be his opponent which, if pans out, will be a treat.
“Two big, athletic blokes who can jump and run, that will be an exciting match up. I look forward to the challenge.’’
Don’t mistake his casualness for over-confidence.
He says he still pinches himself that he’s an AFL footballer, but at the same time he lists what’s required of him.
That’s push up the ground, be an outlet, be reliable for his teammates and create contests.
And take marks of course. No stress up there?
“Nuh, it’s all clean air.’’
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