Nakia makes strong start
A PAIR of young guns could be about to make their mark at AFL level if the early signs at Geelong pre-season training are any guide.
Luckless midfielder Nakia Cockatoo and emerging key forward Nathan Krueger have made an impression in the first fortnight of training for the Cats.
Geelong midfield coach Matthew Knights said Cockatoo had plenty of work ahead of him to get the required continuity into his body after recent seasons ravaged by injury.
But Knights said coach Chris Scott and his team of assistants were happy with the explosive ball winner’s progression as he sought a return to AFL level in 2020.
“Nakia has done probably 70 per cent of the football so far and he tops that up with conditioning in the same day or the same session,” he said after the Cats went through their paces yesterday, with players such as Luke Dahlhaus, Gary Rohan and Zach Tuohy among the faces.
“He is using the ball very well in drills and his skill execution has been very good.
“But now he just needs the continuity and to string sessions and weeks together.
“It has been really good so far, but we are only in the infancy of pre-season so we would like to see him complete a good four or five months, which would be exciting for everyone to see.
“We have all referenced the long game with Nakia, which has been based on his body not being able to stand up to the rigours so far, but he has been able to do that (this preseason).
“So there is no question if he gets through pre-season that Chris would be the first to let him rip into football as soon as he can — and we are all really looking forward to him playing football.
“I have got extremely high hopes he can be a strong contested midfield, which is where he is doing the majority of his training.”
Krueger had been touted as a possible late-season debutant in 2019 after some standout performances for the Cats at VFL level in his first season at the club.
But he was ultimately left to develop his game away from the limelight.
The 20-year-old spent time down back in his first year, but Knights said Geelong would be looking to use him in attack for the majority of 2020.
“His training in the first couple of weeks has been at a good level and his body is great,” he said.
“He has been doing 100 per cent of the sessions and he is one of those players we would really like to see jump into that second or third tall forward role.
“He provides something different, as he is more of a roaming forward who is particularly hard to handle for opposition defences.
“He has obviously got plenty to learn . . . but he has lots of energy and is good to coach, so it is a big pre-season for ‘ Kruges’ because he certainly has a lot to offer.”
Geelong’s first-to-fourthyear players have been training for two weeks, although a number of senior players have shown up earlier than required. The club’s full list returns to training on Monday.