“Nic Naitanui hits the game like lightening hits the night.”

“What Nic Naitanui can’t do, can’t be done.”

These are some of the statements that have emerged from AFL commentary boxes this season about West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui. Deep, a bit poetic and perhaps even a little dramatic. But it seems that when Naitanui touches the football, commentators - and everyone else for that matter - get a bit excited. 

And with good reason. At merely 22 years of age and with not even four seasons under his belt, Naitanui has already made an incredible impact on the AFL.

The Swan Districts draftee, whose astounding vertical leap has seen him dubbed ‘The Flying Fijian’, has amassed a highlight reel that could only be described as beyond inspiring. His freakish ability saw him earn a Rising Star nomination, Rookie of the Year Award and a Brownlow vote, all in his debut season. Since then, Naitanui has continued to impress, taking out AFL Mark of the Year nominations two years in a row and constantly thrilling match-goers with his almost inexplicable strength and athleticism.

But Naitanui’s achievements extend beyond the football field. The star has this year been named chief ambassador of AFL Multicultural Round, and launched the event this week alongside multicultural football greats Alex Jesaulenko and Stephen Silvagni.

A fantastic honour for the Perth-raised Naitanui. But never one to be swept away by hype or accolade, Naitanui takes it all in his stride.

“I remember I used to run around the house with my twin brother, grab a pair of socks rolled up and used to try and take hangers on him, and used to yell, ‘Jesaulenko, you beauty’. It was a great honour to meet him this week, he was my childhood hero,” he said.

“I can’t believe that he wanted my autograph, because I felt like I should be asking for his.”

Born to Fijian parents, Naitanui has been involved in several multicultural programs with the West Australian Football Commission, including football clinics, club tours and talent camps for multicultural students in WA.

“It’s a great way to get involved in the game if you’ve got someone to learn from.

“I originally got involved in footy by kicking the ball around my street with my neighbours, who happened to be Chris Yarran and Michael Walters, who have both obviously gone on to play great footy.

“Picking up a footy might seem a bit foreign to kids from multicultural backgrounds. So if I can help and encourage them to get involved in such a great game, and they end up loving it, then that’s a great outcome.

“It’s good that we’ve got Multicultural Round to highlight some of the great footy being played by guys from multicultural backgrounds.

“At West Coast alone, we’ve had some amazing players from multicultural backgrounds like Kerr, Embley, Jakovich, the Matera boys, and Woosh as well.

“Hopefully this weekend’s Multicultural Round celebrations encourage more kids to fall in love with the sport,” Naitanui added.

In honour of Multicultural Round, Naitanui will be taking a group of young multicultural students on a tour of the West Coast Eagles clubrooms this week, and will also toss the coin before the team take on the Gold Coast Suns in their Saturday night clash.