POTENTIAL No.1 draftee Nicholas Naitanui says he is not feeling the weight of public expectation on his shoulders.
His words come despite the massive scrutiny of the Western Australian ruckman – perhaps the most of any youngster set to enter the AFL in recent years.
"I don't take much notice of it. In Perth especially … especially being from a Fijian background, they can get a good story out of it, but I don't really mind, so I just keep playing footy and enjoying it," Naitanui said.
"I'm just another footy player. I'm a little bit different and I know I play a bit different to some other players, but when I was a kid, I looked up to the Josh Frasers and the Dean Coxes, so hopefully I can be the same – especially to the young Fijian kids back at home and the ones in Australia as well.
"Some of [my footy] I'd say comes naturally, but I've worked pretty hard as well at the same time. I was never the fastest bloke and I'm still pretty skinny at the moment as well, so I think as I get older and keep improving – you can never stop learning … so I wouldn't say it comes naturally.
"Just coming into the AIS program with Alan McConnell, I remember telling him I didn't want to play AFL footy – I enjoyed playing it, but I didn't think I was good enough … so that built my confidence and I think ever since then, I've wanted to go as high as I can go."
The 197cm athletic tall said it was "weird" having people starting to recognise him on the street.
"I was walking through the streets of Melbourne and everyone notices who you are, so you've got to make sure you're doing the right thing around town," Naitanui said.
"As long as I keep my head on and do well at football, it'll be alright to be a role model in a sense to some of the younger kids coming through.
"Sometimes I say I don't play football, so I can get a bit of break, and I say I play basketball, because I'm built like a basketballer and I don't really mind it."
A Collingwood supporter, largely because WAFL side Swan Districts sport the same colours, Naitanui admits that in an ideal world, he would like to remain in Western Australia rather than be drafted outside of the state.
"It'd be good to stay home; [I'd] probably get homesick if I go somewhere else. But then again, I don't really mind where I go – just to get the opportunity to play at an AFL club is my main dream," Naitanui said.
Meanwhile, Naitanui said the interest in AFL from Fiji was growing.
"A few of the clubs have gone across and are trying to pick up a few players and start programs over there," he said.
"I know some of the Port Adelaide players like David Rodan and Alipate Carlile are trying to start football up there as well, so hopefully they'll bring a few more over.
"Most of my family know my over there, but they wouldn't really understand [the] number one or number two [draft selection] – they just see players like Rodan on the TV, because they've got AFL on the TV as well now."
