Eagles assistant coach Brady Rawlings says the ruck battle between Nic Naitanui and North’s Todd Goldstein will go a long way to deciding tomorrow’s result.
West Coast face the Kangaroos at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena tomorrow afternoon and the match promises a mouth-watering contest between two of the competition’s best ruckmen.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for Todd [Goldstein], but we’re also happy with how Nic and Callum Sinclair are going and giving our mids a good look at it,” Rawlings said.
“[Goldstein] has become one of the best ruckmen in the competition over the last couple of years, so it’ll definitely be a good match-up.
“[Naitanui] is such a unique player. He’s able to do so many things that other rucks can’t and that’s all we ask from him.
“His follow-ups and his ability to win at ground level and put pressure on the opposition is pretty special. The grab he took last week was pretty special as well, so we think he’s in pretty good form.”
The midfield coach was happy to have his stocks bolstered this week with the return of Dom Sheed from a hand injury and Elliot Yeo who missed the team’s clash with the Cats through suspension.
Rawlings is looking for Yeo to add grunt against some of North Melbourne’s tough inside midfielders.
“The month before [Yeo] was suspended, he was probably our form midfielder,” Rawlings said.
“He’s able to go forward and kick goals as well, so he’s a really good inclusion for us.
“It’s going to be an inside midfield battle this week against [Andrew] Swallow, [Ben] Cunnington and [Jack] Ziebell who are first rate inside with their hardness, so he’s a good inclusion for us Elliot this week.
“Dom Sheed as well comes back from a hand injury. I feel like it bolsters our depth, and hopefully Scott Selwood continues to go from strength to strength after coming back from injury as well.”
Nic Naitanui battles North's Todd Goldstein at Blundstone Arena in round 15, 2012
