Western Bulldogs great Chris Grant is backing “big-game player” and hometown hero Aaron Naughton to rise to the occasion in the AFL grand final.
The high-flying forward has had a breakout season, booting 46 goals on the way to Saturday’s premiership decider against Melbourne in Perth.
Yet to tear apart a final in his brief career, the 21-year-old nonetheless looms as a focal point in his return to his home state of Western Australia.
Grant, the Bulldogs’ head of football and former captain, has marvelled at the 195-centimetre spearhead’s “cat-like” athleticism and fierce competitiveness.
“He’s a big-game player,” Grant said on grand final eve.
“One of the things that Aaron’s been able to display is that he’s got a really competitive nature. He loves the ball to come his way.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“And he never feels like he’s out of the contest. One of the most underrated things around Aaron is his ability to be able to get to his feet quickly after a marking contest, generally after splitting it open.
“The emotion in his home state, I’m sure will play a part as well.”
The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game in top condition, having thrashed Port Adelaide by 71 points in the preliminary final.
But their form line heading into September was a major concern given they ended the home-and-away season with three straight losses, including one to struggling Hawthorn, which Grant identified as a low point for the group.
“The boys were pretty disappointed with how they played and Hawthorn played well that day,” he said.
“I think they were just able to lean on that glass half-full approach, look at the things that they were doing well and carry that (into the finals).
“But the challenge to turn that emotional form around within a finals series has been amazing.”
The Bulldogs’ road to the grand final has been unprecedented, travelling through Launceston, Brisbane and Adelaide en route to Perth.
Much of their past month has been spent in quarantine.
“They’ve handled it incredibly well,” Grant said.
“I think getting out of Victoria as a group, as things were starting to shut down but also at the end of a home-and-away season where the team wasn’t able to perform near their best, they’ve been able to recapture that in the finals series.
“It’s a testament to their resilience, a testament to the bond that they’ve got with each other and hopefully they’ll be able to display that tomorrow as well.”
© AAP
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