West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui has been crowned as the AFL's best player heading into the 2021 season by Champion Data.
Naitanui edged out Richmond superstar Dustin Martin and Demons bull Christian Petracca for the honours off the back of an elite season out West.
The athletic Eagles tall claimed his second All-Australian selection in 2020 whilst taking out his maiden John Worsfold Medal.
Ruck
Hitouts
Marks
Disposals
Naitanui's ability to amass A-grade numbers as both a ruckman and midfielder had him return to the top echelon of the league following a history of injuries.
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes said that while he had no issue with Naitanui ranked atop the league, he would have opted for Martin and Cats star Patrick Dangerfield above him.
"I actually donโt think itโs too far off the mark," Cornes said on SEN SA Breakfast.
โNow, if I was doing it I would have Dustin Martin number one, Iโd have Patrick Dangerfield number two and then youโd probably throw a blanket over six other midfielders, but Iโm okay with Naitanui.
Nic Naitanui through traffic โ #AFLTigersEagles pic.twitter.com/818QVJVgtE
— AFL (@AFL) August 27, 2020
โI watched (Naitanui) closely last year and his ability to go into the centre bounce and give his team the biggest advantage out of any team and that is to get the ball in your forward line when there was even numbers was extraordinary.
โItโs one of the great comeback stories I can remember. We probably thought after he missed a couple of seasons with the knee in a row. His career was going a different path.
