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 | |||
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![]() Naughton playing for the Western Bulldogs in April 2018 | |||
Personal information | |||
Nickname(s) | Astronaught, Naughty | ||
Date of birth | (1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 22) | ||
Place of birth | Frankston, 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 | 93 kg (205 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Key Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Western Bulldogs | ||
Number | 33 | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2018– | Western Bulldogs | 94 (138) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 17, 2022. | |||
Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
He is known by his Western Bulldogs fans as the AstroNaught due to his surname and for his large leaps to grasp outstanding high-flying marks.[1][2]
Naughton was born in the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston and played junior football with the Frankston YCW Junior Football Club from Auskick through to under-9s.[3] Naughton and his family moved to Rockingham, Western Australia in the summer of 1998-99.[4] He was educated at Kolbe Catholic College, Rockingham.
He was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their first selection and ninth overall in the 2017 national draft.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7] Naughton moved into the forward line at the beginning of 2019. This move proved to be a success and Naughton kicked 32 goals in his second year. 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.[8] Naughton kicked a career-high six goals in the 12th round of the 2020 AFL season against the Adelaide Crows.
Naughton had a career-best start to the 2021 AFL season, kicking multiple goals in every single game up to Round 9. He was named as one of the Bulldogs' best players in their close win over West Coast, after kicking 3 goals, including the one that put them back in front in the final quarter.[9][10] He then had his best game for the season in Round 9, where he kicked 4 goals and helped secure the team a win against Port Adelaide.[11][12]
Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
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G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
2018 | Western Bulldogs | 33 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 130 | 78 | 208 | 77 | 38 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 7.2 | 4.3 | 11.6 | 4.3 | 2.1 |
2019 | Western Bulldogs | 33 | 23 | 32 | 27 | 170 | 80 | 250 | 132 | 42 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 7.4 | 3.5 | 10.9 | 5.7 | 1.8 |
2020[lower-alpha 1] | Western Bulldogs | 33 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 46 | 38 | 84 | 42 | 9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 0.8 |
2021 | Western Bulldogs | 33 | 9 | 22 | 16 | 90 | 26 | 116 | 64 | 14 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 10.0 | 2.9 | 12.9 | 7.1 | 1.6 |
Career | 62 | 71 | 50 | 436 | 222 | 658 | 315 | 103 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 10.6 | 5.1 | 1.7 |
Notes
Western Bulldogs – current squad | |
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* denotes rookie listed players |
Western Bulldogs · leading goalkickers | |
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VFL/AFL |
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AFL Women's |
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2020 22 Under 22 team | |
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Full-back |
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Half-back |
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Centre |
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Half-forward |
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Full-forward |
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Ruck |
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Interchange |
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2017 AFL national draft | |
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First round |
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Second round |
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Third round |
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Fourth round |
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Fifth round |
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Sixth round |
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2018 AFL Rising Star nominees | |
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Italics denote winner |
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