The West Coast Eagles believe a fully fit Nic Naitanui will suit up against the Western Bulldogs for the club’s AFL round one clash in Perth.
The star ruckman has suffered another injury disrupted pre-season, but is expected to get four quarters of action in an intra-club hit-out of Friday.
The 23-year-old got through a short run against Fremantle last week in the Eagles’ second pre-season win over their crosstown rivals.
“He pulled up well. Good enough to train yesterday and perform this Friday,” coach Adam Simpson told AFL.com.au.
“We need to get a good solid hit-out from Nic. He played 40-50 minutes which we wanted him to last week and now the next step is to play a full game.”
Nic Naitanui Returns As Eagles Pelt Dockers Again In AFL Pre-Season
Naitanui was used sparingly in the ruck against Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands with coach Simpson suggesting their injury prone super athlete wasn’t ready at the time for the extra physical role.
“…He will explore a little bit in the ruck (this Friday). I think he needs to at least do a little bit to get used to the collision. But he’ll play forward and on ball as well.”
The Herald Sun have been pushing rumours that Naitanui will become West Coast’s first million dollar player since late last year, with the latest developments suggesting the club could offer their young star a deal similar to the one Lance Franklin received from Sydney this past off-season, however any deal would likely see Naitanui remain with the Eagles for a maximum of a further four to five years.
In other AFL news, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney have opted to activate first-round compensation picks over the coming seasons.
The Suns will have two first-round picks in both 2014 and 2015 while the Giants will use their final compensation pick at the end of the 2014 season.
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