Aaron Naughton

Aaron Naughton (born 30 November 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Standing at 195 cm, Naughton is considered a key-position player who is renowned for his strong marking skills and can play both in defence and attack.

Aaron Naughton
Naughton playing for the Western Bulldogs in April 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-11-30) 30 November 1999
Place of birth Victoria
Original team(s) Peel Thunder (WAFL)
Draft No. 9, 2017 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2018, Greater Western Sydney
vs. Western Bulldogs, at UNSW Canberra Oval
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 89 kg (196 lb)
Position(s) Centre Half Forward
Club information
Current club Western Bulldogs
Number 33
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018 Western Bulldogs 53 (49)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of Round 16 2019.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Naughton was born in Victoria, and moved to Rockingham in Western Australia as a child.[1]

He was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their first selection and ninth overall in the 2017 national draft.[2]

He is known by his Western Bulldogs fans as the AstroNaught for his large leaps to grasp outstanding marks.[3][4]

AFL career

He made his debut in the 82-point loss to Greater Western Sydney at UNSW Canberra Oval in the opening round of the 2018 season.[5] Naughton went on to play 18 games in his debut season, finishing fourth in the club best-and-fairest count and winning the Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award. He also earned a Rising Star nomination for his performance against Richmond in Round 23.[6] Naughton led the AFL for contested marks at the conclusion of the 2019 season, with a total of 53. His contested marking was best on display in Round 7 against Richmond, claiming 9 contested marks, he was only 1 shy of the AFL record.[7] Naughton kicked a career-high six goals in the 12th round of the 2020 AFL season against the Adelaide Crows.

Career statistics summary

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season[8]
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2018 Western Bulldogs 3318211307820877380.10.17.24.311.64.32.1
2019 Western Bulldogs 3323322717080250132421.41.177.43.510.95.71.8
2020[lower-alpha 1] Western Bulldogs 33121564638844291.30.53.83.27.03.50.8
Career 53 49 34 346 196 542 251 89 0.9 0.6 6.5 3.7 10.2 4.7 1.7

Notes

  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. Daniels, Ryan (15 November 2017). "AFL Draft: WA prospect Aaron Naughton prefers Collingwood over Fremantle". The West Australian. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. Hope, Shayne (24 November 2017). "AFL draft 2017: Aaron Naughton targets a round-one debut at Western Bulldogs". The West Australian. Seven West Media. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. "AstroNaught reaches new heights as Dogs destroy Crows – AFL". The Coal Face. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  4. Canil, Jourdan (31 January 2020). "How the AstroNaught can launch into superstardom". AFL Media. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. Rake, Justin (22 March 2018). "Peel football product Aaron Naughton to make AFL debut in round one". Mandurah Mail. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  6. "2018 Sutton Medal: Macrae named domestique". westernbulldogs.com.au. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  7. "'Jesus Christ would've struggled on him': Dog makes his mark". afl.com.au. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  8. "Aaron Naughton Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
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