{"id":292561,"date":"2023-10-31T02:24:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T02:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=292561"},"modified":"2023-10-31T02:24:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T02:24:08","slug":"im-spewing-why-size-doesnt-matter-to-top-10-draft-prospect-nate-caddy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/im-spewing-why-size-doesnt-matter-to-top-10-draft-prospect-nate-caddy\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m spewing\u2019: Why size doesn\u2019t matter to top-10 draft prospect Nate Caddy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Save articles for later<\/h3>\n<p>Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n<h3>Key points<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Nate Caddy is related to several past and present VFL\/AFL players, including ex-Tiger Josh.<\/li>\n<li>The Northern Knights young gun could be among the first 10 players taken in this year\u2019s draft.<\/li>\n<li>Caddy is highly regarded for his spectacular marking prowess and agility for his size.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Draft prospect Nate Caddy can\u2019t help but notice how much taller the AFL\u2019s key forwards are these days.<\/p>\n<p>From Joe Daniher (201 centimetres) to the likes of Harry McKay (200), the King twins \u2013 Max and Ben (both 202) \u2013 Mitch Lewis (199), Peter Wright (203), Nick Larkey (198) and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (197), the trend is obvious.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.342%2C$multiply_0.5855%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_19\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/c308a119a1131afaccfd6ca957b4b341462e6f56\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Nate Caddy could be a top-10 pick in this year\u2019s AFL draft.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>One development led to another: the league\u2019s coaches, as free agency and trade period proved, are desperate for supersized key defenders, preferably with extreme athleticism, who can play on these forward goliaths.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a reason Caddy is so interested. The 18-year-old Northern Knights forward, a potential top-10 pick, is 193 centimetres tall, or to use his exact measurement from the draft combine; 192.9 centimetres.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to say 193. Point one [short]? I\u2019m spewing about that,\u201d Caddy told this masthead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut look at Charlie Curnow [194cm] &#8230; he\u2019s the best key forward in the comp. Jeremy Cameron\u2019s not that much taller [196cm], then there\u2019s Aaron Naughton [195cm], and players like that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t even care if they don\u2019t call me a key forward \u2013 I\u2019ll be a power forward, just a hard match-up, I\u2019d say. Say they put someone taller on me, I can be quicker than them, but if they put someone smaller on me, then I\u2019ll be able to out-body them with my height.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got a long wingspan, and a pretty good vertical [jump], so I feel like that adds a few centimetres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.157%2C$multiply_0.7487%2C$ratio_0.666667%2C$width_378%2C$x_19%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/5145eae811b3e034975a735c93980f8985137f3b\" height=\"425\" width=\"283\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Caddy is sometimes compared to Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>The Curnow mention was not by accident. Caddy, an excellent athlete in his own right, is sometimes likened to the back-to-back Coleman medallist.<\/p>\n<p>He finished 10th in the agility test at the combine, and was occasionally unleashed as a big-bodied midfielder throughout this year. But that versatility is more of a sideshow to Caddy\u2019s main act.<\/p>\n<p>Any conversation with a recruiter about Caddy not only involves pontificating about his height \u2013 one way or the other \u2013 but inevitably also his aerial prowess, from his sticky hands to the athletic and fearless way he launches for marks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always say there\u2019s a feeling when everything\u2019s going right for you. It\u2019s almost like you\u2019re chasing a high,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a feeling you get when you\u2019re marking everything, you\u2019re getting over your opponent, you\u2019re confident in yourself, and you\u2019re kicking goals. That\u2019s the best feeling there is [as a footballer], and that\u2019s why you train so hard, to try and get that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caddy is the son of a former local football cult hero Saul Caddy, a 183cm, 120-kilogram, hyper-aggressive full forward who kicked goals for fun. Saul never played in the AFL, but did pull on the boots for the Bulldogs\u2019 reserves.<\/p>\n<p>There is a VFL\/AFL connection within his broader bloodlines, from his mother Tania\u2019s uncle Robert Dean (Collingwood and South Melbourne), Saul\u2019s uncle Michael Reeves (North Melbourne and Fitzroy), and Caddy\u2019s cousin, Ned Reeves (Hawthorn). He is also the nephew of dual Richmond premiership player Josh Caddy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s cool to have a few people in the family who played in the AFL, and I can look up to,\u201d Caddy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI reckon early days, when I was probably in under-12s, 13s and 14s, I felt a bit of pressure [to live up to the family legacy]. But once you realise that there\u2019s no real advantages to having your uncle there, you get over it. There\u2019s no uncle-nephew rule. There\u2019s always pressure, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caddy\u2019s surname meant he stood out long before casual observers began more closely scrutinising the talented kids they might end up with in a few weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n<p>He was always projected to be in the mix as a top-10 selection after a promising bottom-age season last year, but not everything went to plan in his draft audition.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.284%2C$multiply_0.5855%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_9%2C$y_106\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/482f894d081c745298765fe896df620476cb6ecd\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Caddy hopes to make his mark in the AFL after an excellent junior career.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>Caddy suffered a fractured fibula late in the pre-season, then there was his debilitating, and unexpected, case of chickenpox not long before the mid-year national championships, causing him to miss the opening match.<\/p>\n<p>Even still, he kicked 25 goals in nine Talent League games, six in three championships matches \u2013 including three against Western Australia \u2013 and two more in a lone VFL appearance for Carlton.<\/p>\n<p>Melbourne (pick six) and Geelong (eight) are among the clubs strongly linked to Caddy, but he is prepared for any scenario.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t had to deal with too much that\u2019s affected me. Obviously, my parents split up, and that was tough &#8230; but there were no injuries until this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.353%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_16\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/ad2813789b02065fa19562f675a9ba16d8f8527f\" height=\"390\" width=\"584\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Nate Caddy is one of the most promising forwards in this year\u2019s draft crop.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe chickenpox was terrible. It ruined me, and I had them all over me. It took three weeks to get over, and I\u2019ve still got scars everywhere \u2013 they were the worst.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t even know you could get it at my age; I just thought it was a kid thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was probably a bit underdone for the rest of the championships. That\u2019s a bit of an excuse, but it is what it is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a bit of a weird year. A few things have happened, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Far out, I can\u2019t catch a break\u2019 but I\u2019m excited for whatever comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b><b><i>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Most Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n<h3>From our partners<\/h3>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/sport\/afl\/i-m-spewing-why-size-doesn-t-matter-to-top-10-draft-prospect-nate-caddy-20231027-p5efom.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Key points Nate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2018I\u2019m spewing\u2019: Why size doesn\u2019t matter to top-10 draft prospect Nate Caddy - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/im-spewing-why-size-doesnt-matter-to-top-10-draft-prospect-nate-caddy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018I\u2019m spewing\u2019: Why size doesn\u2019t matter to top-10 draft prospect Nate Caddy - Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. 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