‘I’m spewing’: Why size doesn’t matter to top-10 draft prospect Nate Caddy

Draft prospect Nate Caddy can’t help but notice how much taller the AFL’s key forwards are these days.

From Joe Daniher (201 centimetres) to the likes of Harry McKay (200), the King twins – Max and Ben (both 202) – Mitch Lewis (199), Peter Wright (203), Nick Larkey (198) and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (197), the trend is obvious.

One development led to another: the league’s 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.

There’s 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.

“I’m going to say 193. Point one [short]? I’m spewing about that,” Caddy told this masthead.

“But look at Charlie Curnow [194cm] ... he’s the best key forward in the comp. Jeremy Cameron’s not that much taller [196cm], then there’s Aaron Naughton [195cm], and players like that.

“I don’t even care if they don’t call me a key forward – I’ll be a power forward, just a hard match-up, I’d say. Say they put someone taller on me, I can be quicker than them, but if they put someone smaller on me, then I’ll be able to out-body them with my height.

“I’ve got a long wingspan, and a pretty good vertical [jump], so I feel like that adds a few centimetres.”

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.

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’s main act.

Any conversation with a recruiter about Caddy not only involves pontificating about his height – one way or the other – but inevitably also his aerial prowess, from his sticky hands to the athletic and fearless way he launches for marks.

“I always say there’s a feeling when everything’s going right for you. It’s almost like you’re chasing a high,” he said. “There’s a feeling you get when you’re marking everything, you’re getting over your opponent, you’re confident in yourself, and you’re kicking goals. That’s the best feeling there is [as a footballer], and that’s why you train so hard, to try and get that.”

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’ reserves.

There is a VFL/AFL connection within his broader bloodlines, from his mother Tania’s uncle Robert Dean (Collingwood and South Melbourne), Saul’s uncle Michael Reeves (North Melbourne and Fitzroy), and Caddy’s cousin, Ned Reeves (Hawthorn). He is also the nephew of dual Richmond premiership player Josh Caddy.

“It’s cool to have a few people in the family who played in the AFL, and I can look up to,” Caddy said.

“I 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’s no real advantages to having your uncle there, you get over it. There’s no uncle-nephew rule. There’s always pressure, anyway.”

Caddy’s 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’ time.

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.

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.

Even still, he kicked 25 goals in nine Talent League games, six in three championships matches – including three against Western Australia – and two more in a lone VFL appearance for Carlton.

Melbourne (pick six) and Geelong (eight) are among the clubs strongly linked to Caddy, but he is prepared for any scenario.

“I haven’t had to deal with too much that’s affected me. Obviously, my parents split up, and that was tough ... but there were no injuries until this year,” he said.

“The chickenpox was terrible. It ruined me, and I had them all over me. It took three weeks to get over, and I’ve still got scars everywhere – they were the worst.

“I didn’t even know you could get it at my age; I just thought it was a kid thing.

“I was probably a bit underdone for the rest of the championships. That’s a bit of an excuse, but it is what it is.

“It’s been a bit of a weird year. A few things have happened, and I’m like, ‘Far out, I can’t catch a break’ but I’m excited for whatever comes next.”

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.