Aaron Naughton gets a handball away for WA against Vic Metro at Domain Stadium during the under 18 championships last June. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Footyology’s draft rankings – No. 9: Aaron Naughton

No. 9 – AARON NAUGHTON
Western Australia (Peel Thunder)
Key defender

Born: 30/11/1999
Height: 194cm
Weight: 84kg

WAFL STATS
Disposals: 13.9
Kicks: 10.3
Handballs: 3.6
Marks: 6.9
Tackles: 1.3
Goals: 0.3
One elite attribute: Overhead marking. Tall defender who will beat his man in the air and on the run, but is not strong enough to consistently compete one-on-one in the square.
Best-case comparison: Tom McDonald

WHAT HE’S GOT

Intercept ability: Naughton reads the game and peels off his man exceptionally well. His outstanding instincts didn’t waver at senior level in the WAFL.

Athleticism: The Peel Thunder prospect is a smooth mover with tremendous leap and timing. Needs to work on his core strength, though.

Marking: In his first three games in the Peel seniors, Naughton’s mark numbers read: seven, 11 and 11. He has a good mix of intercept marks, uncontested marks and one-on-one grabs.

WHAT HE LACKS

Strength: Opposition coaches will try to get him one-out in the goal square with their big forward early on. He’ll need to fill out his body a bit more to be able to be a true key defender.

Ball skills: Slow-ish ball drop will make supporters nervous if he kicks out from deep in defence. Probably needs to go long down the line until he’s more confident with ball in hand.