MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 05: Nic Naitanui of the Eagles and Tom Campbell of the Bulldogs compete in the ruck during the round 11 AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium on June 5, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 05: Nic Naitanui of the Eagles and Tom Campbell of the Bulldogs compete in the ruck during the round 11 AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium on June 5, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

West Coast Eagles: Nic Naitanui

Club champion Chris Judd was brought in to speak about elite preparation and professionalism last week, which is what a lot of mid-tier West Coast Eagles will need to improve upon. But again, an injured player is at the centre of importance for West Coast, as the club sweats on Nic Naitanuiโ€™s healthy return to footy over the next month. A highlight of the Eaglesโ€™ play is their ruck dominance, and to maintain that, Naitanui will obviously have to be at his brilliant best. But the ruck is not where his value begins and ends โ€“ quality game breakers such as Nic Nat can be the difference come finals time, through a special piece of play that others simply cannot do. If the Eaglesย want to replicate last seasonโ€™s efforts, number nine is the key.