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Key Stats
Height: 194cm
Weight: 85kg
DOB: 30 November, 1999
Position: Defender
Club: Peel Thunder


The Western Bulldogs have selected Aaron Naughton, an agile and athletic key defender from Western Australia with the ninth pick overall in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft.

Standing 194cm weighing 85kg, Naughton played seven games for the Peel Thunder seniors this season where he averaged 14 possessions and seven marks per contest playing with and against AFL level talent.

Rated by scouts as the best intercept marker in the draft, the soon-to-be 18-year-old was rarely beaten during this year’s Nationals and was awarded All-Australian honours for his efforts.

Western Bulldogs Recruiting Manager Simon Dalrymple said that the Victorian transplant has all the attributes to succeed at the top level.

“Aaron’s an athletic hybrid defender, who is an excellent intercept mark and has the athletic quality to play on both tall and medium players,” Dalrymple told westernbulldogs.com.au

“One thing we particularly like about him is his drive, he’s a very driven young man, which bodes well for him and the Club and he grows as a player over time.”

While he’s likely to be groomed as a key back, Naughton’s ability to grab the contested mark could see him play as a forward at times, where his speed and football IQ would serve him well.