West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui put on a star display as the Eagles came from 22 points down to beat Geelong by nine points in Perth on Saturday night.
Geelong coach Chris Scott says it’s hard not to be mesmerised by Nic Naitanui after watching the West Coast ruckman destroy his side.
Naitanui was arguably best afield at Optus Stadium, with his 34 hitouts and three centre clearances proving pivotal in the 11.7 (73) to 10.4 (64) triumph.
With recognised ruckmen Rhys Stanley and Darcy Fort sidelined, Geelong used Esava Ratugolea and Mark Blicavs against Naitanui.
Although the duo tried their best, Naitanui’s deft ruck taps and bullocking work at ground level helped produce numerous goals.
“No one can compete with Nic Nat when he’s completely up and going and he’s got everything on his terms,” Scott said.
“The problem with kicking goals against West Coast is the ball goes back to the middle.
“It’s hard not to be mesmerised with some of the stuff he can do. I’m a fan, I’m sure you guys are as well.”
Eagles coach Adam Simpson described Naitanui’s performance against Geelong as special.
“He brings everyone into the game, including the crowd,” Simpson said.
“We’re lucky we’ve got him, because he’s hard to stop. I can’t speak highly enough for Nic and what he does for our club and our community.
“I’m really proud of him.”
West Coast’s fifth win on the trot improved their season tally to 6-3, leaving them in the thick of the battle for top-four spots.
Eagles forward Josh Kennedy continued his hot form by booting four goals against Geelong, taking his season tally to a league-leading 22 as the race for the Coleman medal heats up.
West Coast will be back in action next Sunday when they host Carlton at Optus Stadium.
Geelong (5-4) dropped to sixth ahead of Wednesday’s clash with North Melbourne at the Gabba.
The Cats’ only win from their three games in Perth came against Fremantle, but Scott was proud of their efforts, especially against West Coast.
Not only were Geelong without a recognised ruckman against West Coast, but they were also missing Joel Selwood, Jack Steven, Luke Dahlhaus, and Gary Ablett.
“I think it’s been a more successful three weeks than that (1-2 record). It feels like we’re building something,” Scott said.
“I think tonight gave us a little bit of confidence that we’re not out of touch with the best teams in the comp.”
Scott expects Selwood to return against the Kangaroos, but Steven is no guarantee given the careful training and management plan the Cats have set out for him.
Seymorebutts
Guest
It was either 2016 or 2017 they had 9 games(?) decided by less than a kick.. lost 6 and won 3 (from memory, I could google it but I cant be bothered). If they had of won 5 of the 9 they would have finished two games clear on top and would have had home final throughout the finals instead of finishing 5th and going out in straight sets. They won the flag in a tight one soon after, ... so they have lost more than their fair share in the last few years, it was inevitable that they would begin to turn it around.. ;-)
Lukey Miller
Guest
Natanui is clearly the best ruckman in the AFL. The next best are Grundy and Gawn (both very fine ruckmen) and Natanui has consistently had the better of them over the journey. If not for his knees, Natanui could be ranked better with greats of past eras. He is now into that zone where he has developed his ruck craft to a very high level and his body is allowing him to execute his skills. Given his current form, he would have done the same job on Geelong's regular rucks as he did on their ruckmen on Saturday night. Now it is all about keeping fit and healthy.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
The Cats first half was fearless which will be good enough anytime. They could not sustain and blinked in the face of crowd taunting and competition expectations. They flew in the rare air and Richo was calling them flag favorites. Their unity was was quite awesome. If they can do it for an hour or more then they can do it all day. The word is fearless.
Boo
Guest
Typical mediocre Chris Scott praising Natanui deflects his inability to curtail his influence.It doesn't matter how many hit outs a ruckman gets if you stop his team mates roving them .Did Scott set up defensively in the centre square and advise his ruckman to hold ground against Nic Nat .Ultimately , Kennedy won the game for West Coast when he thrashed Taylor in the last Qtr.Geelong needed some fresh legs in that game and to not make changes after the Fremantle game was stupid.
Gerard Klomp
Guest
I must admit I did want it shut down, But the Season is still on the knife edge as thing are getting bad again, in New South Wales and Queensland. So it still could close down.
Blitz
Guest
That’s the 4th time in a row that Nic has beaten Grundy. Only one encounter was close (2019).Nic has towelled him on 3 of those occasions including R17 2018 when he did his 2nd knee. He has a similar record against Gawn. He’s clearly the best ruckman in the game for mine.
DTM
Guest
Not Maxi's fault his taps go nowhere - you need to ask the midfielders what they are doing. What would Scott have given for a Max Gawn last night? The Cats were up against it with team selection, they have travel and a 4 day break - if they had risked Selwood and he got re injured, might have been in more trouble. He is likely back for the North game which is a must win for the Cats.
DTM
Guest
The 16 minute quarters suit Natanui and West Coast perfectly. Oscar Allen is the ideal back up - still learning the game and goes forward to kick a goal every now and then. He can also help out in defence as well so he gives the Eagles great balance..
DTM
Guest
I went to the game against Collingwood and thought Grundy was injured - maybe he was but maybe I was doing Natanui a disservice. I also went along last night and whilst the opposition ruckmen were less credentialled, Natanui was more dominant than his stats suggested.
Blitz
Guest
I haven’t checked the records but I do know that after the flag in 2018 WC said that they had great belief that he could come from behind against anyone if they grinded games out to the very end and that the belief came from experiences during the 2018 season. Allen said as much in his post-game interview last night as did Simmo at half-time. Nic Nat kicked a goal from a throw-in against GWS with 2 seconds on the clock. Shuey and Gov after the siren goals against Port, and of course Sheed in the big dance against your boys are some recent close WC wins that spring to mind. I’d say that they’ve won more close games than they’ve lost in recent years but I haven’t looked it up, just feels that way.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Good teams play with speed and width, then the go to Skilled stadium and that's impossible :silly: Cats look like they'll be there at the pointy end.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I don't think the Cats deserved to win, if anything the comeback made the win by west coast more righteous. Geelong were great, WC was greater
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Such different players Grandy and Nic Nat, I think Nic has him on form this year. Be worth watching just for that match-up
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Didn't you want to shut the season down a month or so ago?
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I think Nic Nat and Todd Goldstein are the two best ruckman in the league because they actually get some benefit from their taps, Gawns taps go nowhere and Grundy thinks he's a midfielder. I was worried that the big fella might not get back after the knee so it's fantastic to see him dominating. We want the superstars playing, not on the sidelines. Now if Geelong had of played their superstar skipper I wonder what would have happened last night? Hmmmmm
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
As a neutral who believe it or not likes and respects both clubs I wouldn’t say the Cats deserved the win more than the Eagles. Either were going to be unlucky to lose. I’d like to know the Eagles record past couple of years in close games under 12 points…you seem to win the clutch games a lot but I could be wrong.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
It would have been good to get 12 points out west. However, 4 points against some solid opposition is still a decent effort. The Cats are playing good footy. They need to watch the spread out wide. Both Collingwood and the Eagles worked the Geelong defence well to the fat side and with speed. Saying that, this is exactly what good teams do. Play with speed and width: it's bloody hard to counter. Secondly, when in possession, Scott's chipping style out of the back half, although affective at times, came unstuck last night, just like it did during the prelim against the Tigers. For 3/4 they controlled the Tigers before their relentless pressure broke the system down. It cracked again last night. At times, their risk vs reward does not appear balanced. I saw it against the Pies in both attack and defence. They take too many short risky passes with not enough reward. They don't punish teams that take risks themselves on the turnover. I can see Scott tinkering with this. He's not far off, I believe. Good job West Coast. Great win against my boys. GO CATS.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Great contest but wce where the better side for the second half and capitalised on that dominant periods, geelong only went in with a 16 pt half time lead which was helped by some extraordinary goal kicking accuracy and was never going to be enough. Both teams played well but statistically and on the scoreboard wce outplayed Geelong.
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
Nick Nat when on song is, as shown against Geelong, a real force and with him West Coast Eagles are definite title contenders but at his age and with his injury history can Nick Nat keep up this level of play? One of the fascinating questions of this wild and crazy AFL season.
Nico
Roar Rookie
Edit: *This is only the the 2nd time I’ve felt sorry for a losing side...*