West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui can’t help but be slightly jealous of North Melbourne’s cult hero Majak Daw ahead of their AFL showdown in Perth on Friday night.
Although Naitanui’s athleticism is unrivalled for a ruckman in the AFL, the dreadlocked Fijian admits he falls a tad short when it comes to comparing his muscles to that of Sudanese-born Daw.
“That’s probably the main thing I’ve been copping in the gym. They’re saying this guy looks like you, but where are your muscles?” Naitanui said with a laugh.
“I haven’t seen a bigger man. He’s just so ripped. I don’t know how else to put it.
“I’m sure he’s probably going to scare a few guys out there when he’s playing.”
The hype surrounding Daw reached fever pitch over the weekend after the 22-year-old booted six goals in his team’s win over the Western Bulldogs.
Naitanui has been impressed by the Kangaroos forward since watching a YouTube video of him running all the way from defence to boot a magical goal in the VFL in 2011.
Daw and Naitanui struck up a friendship during the time they spent together as multicultural ambassadors for the AFL.
Although their diverse backgrounds have been widely celebrated by the public, the pair have also been on the end of racial abuse over the years.
The most recent episode happened on Saturday, when two fans were evicted from Etihad Stadium for racially abusing Daw.
Naitanui said it was sad and disheartening to hear of the latest incident, and revealed he had spoken with Daw in the past about how best to deal with the abuse.
“I just explained to him that at the end of the day, they’re just words,” said Naitanui, who was racially abused by Collingwood fans in 2011.
“Don’t let it stop you.
“The kids who come to games, they couldn’t care less what you look like.
“If you’ve got some funny-looking dreads, they might take more of a liking to you.
“But it’s more about your ability on the field.
“So report it but, at the same time, just ignore it. It’s not accepted and it’s good that there are people in the crowd willing to dob those guys in.”
Daw is set to play mainly up forward against the Eagles, but is a strong chance to come up against Naitanui when he pinch-hits in the ruck.
Both teams have started the year slowly with 3-4 records, placing extra importance on the Patersons Stadium clash.
