“You’ve got to have a few tricks,and this is where[Charlie] Curnow is the pick of the bunch,and even[Joe] Daniher at Brisbane. They can score regular goals from general play.
“I don’t think Aaron has that in his armoury right now as much as those other guys.”
The numbers back 514-goal Eagles star Sumich’s theory. Between 2019 and this year,more than 67 per cent of Naughton’s goals came after marks compared to only 16.7 per cent from general play.
Goals from free kicks and 50-metre penalties constitute the rest of his tally.
It is not impossible for a forward to make their living that way,given Geelong champion Tom Hawkins’ ratios in the same period are almost identical,but Curnow,Daniher and Taylor Walker are among the stars with a far more balanced approach.
Naughton kicked 142 goals between the 2021-23 seasons.Credit:AFL Photos
The other side of the Naughton positional argument is how blessed the Bulldogs are for tall forward options.
No.1 draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan,who is close to re-signing at the Kennel,is blossoming by the game and attracted 10 inside-50 targets in round one compared to Naughton’s two. They also have veteran big man Rory Lobb and Darcy,who Beveridge said after last week’s loss to Melbourne was viewed as a ruck-forward rather than a defender in the long term.
“I have to be careful because ‘Bevo’ knows what he’s doing – he’s a premiership coach,and an unbelievable coach,” Sumich said.
“But Jones,Naughton,Darcy,Ugle-Hagan is a pretty good spine for my liking. I know the kids up forward are fairly young,but Ugle-Hagan is taking giant strides,and they have great support around them with Lobb up there. That’s why I think Naughton would really help them down back,and would make them a force to get past.”
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Naughton was the No.9 pick in the 2017 draft before starting his AFL career impressively down back.
He averaged 2.4 intercept marks across 18 games in his debut season,the second-most of any first-year player who made at least five appearances – narrowly out-performing the likes of Aliir Aliir,Harris Andrews,Tom Doedee and Jeremy McGovern.
Beveridge switched Naughton into attack in his second season,and he has responded with 190 goals in 106 games since,including 142 of them between 2021-23.
The 24-year-old kicked just one goal among six disposals against the Demons last week,but his coach hinted there was a physical issue that limited him.
“It’s almost like we forget that[Naughton]’s been our most prolific key forward,and I’m not sure if you’re aware,but as a junior,he was a forward,” Beveridge said.
“He became a key back towards his draft year,so he’s used to playing as a forward,and he helps others play extremely well. He wasn’t at the top of his game last week,and he’s one of those lads who needs to be uncompromised and unrestricted in what he’s doing.
“There’s something that happened early in the game that pulled him back a little bit … it’s unlikely that he will go back[so] if we need someone to swing,it’ll likely be Sam before Aaron.”
AFL considers lifetime ban for Adelaide Oval pitch invader
By Andrew Wu and Steve Barrett
The AFL is considering a lifetime ban for the pitch invader who disrupted the match between Adelaide and Geelong.
Football’s players union has called for the AFL to act to avoid a repeat of the bizarre scenes on Friday night when a fan jumped the fence and appeared to film himself as he approached the play.
A man is dealt with after running onto Adelaide Oval as Geelong played Adelaide.Credit:AFL Photos,Getty Images
The spectator ran loose for more than 20 seconds before being floored by Adelaide’s Ben Keays in an act not dissimilar to that of the late Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds,who famously shirtfronted a streaker in a one-day international at the Gabba in 2008.
Fortunately for all concerned,the fan was only carrying a mobile phone.
An AFL source with knowledge of the matter said the league is considering issuing a very lengthy or lifetime ban for the pitch invader.
The AFL Players Association has called the league for answers.
“It’s not good enough that the players were placed in this position last night,” the AFLPA’s general manager of player and stakeholder relations Brett Murphy said.
“We have followed up with the AFL to understand how this happened and what plans are in place to prevent something like this happening again.
“The football field is the players’ workplace and they have a right to expect it to be as safe as possible.”
Ben Keays.Credit:Getty Images
Geelong coach Chris Scott’s mind flashed back more than four decades,when the pitch invader disrupted play duringthe Cats’ 19-point win, to cricket great Terry Alderman’s career-altering shoulder injury.
Scott slammed the pitch invader’s dangerous behaviour,citing the WACA Test of the 1982-83 Ashes when Alderman dislocated his right shoulder after his attempt to tackle an English fan went horribly wrong. The injury resulted in Alderman missing a year of cricket.
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“I could go way back – and I’m showing my age – Terry Alderman needed a shoulder reconstruction because of one of these idiots,” Scott said.
“Was it Keaysy who brought him down ... what if? Maybe the fines aren’t big enough. It’s really dangerous too.
“I’m generally so far away from punitive reactions to almost anything in society – that’s just not the way I believe things should be done.
“I’d be annoyed if I was the Crows – they had the ball.”
Adelaide’s players took it upon themselves to deal with the unwanted visitor.
Matt Crouch grabbed the intruder by the sleeve,but he wriggled free and had too much pace for slow-moving security.
Adelaide’s Matt Crouch takes hold of a pitch invader in the third quarter against Geelong.Credit:AFL Photos
“It’s really disappointing and it’s dangerous,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said.
“Pitch invaders ... I don’t understand it. It’s a little concerning.
“I took the opportunity to have a look on the computer to see where we could be better,so I didn’t get a good look at what played out.
“It’s disappointing to see someone,in this day and age,still runs out on the footy field. I don’t get it.”
Nicks stopped short of admonishing Crouch and Keays for physically manhandling the invader,who faces a minimum three-year ban from Adelaide Oval.
“There’s high risk in that,” Nicks said. “There’s the dangerous part of someone being on a footy field,especially when the game’s going,to be right in amongst it.
“The dangers are huge,not only for our players but more so for that individual,to be honest.”
The invader,a 22-year-old man from Blakeview in Adelaide’s north,was arrested by police and charged with entering an oval during a scheduled event.
The man,who was bailed to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on June 19,faces a maximum fine of $5000 under South Australia’s Recreation Grounds Regulations.
With AAP
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