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.
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]
Early years
Naughton was born in Victoria, Australia to Gabby and Wayne Naughton and lived in Langwarrin.[3] He has an older brother, Travis, who played high-level junior football but was not drafted.[3] At a young age, Naughton and his family moved to Rockingham, Western Australia.[4][5] He was educated at Kolbe Catholic College,[6] and played his junior football for the Rockingham Rams Football Club.[7] After his time with the Rams, he played under-16s state football and then under-18s state football for Western Australia, where his potential was realised.[3] He played two under-18s matches in 2016, averaging 7.5 disposals and two marks, and then stepped it up in 2017, playing four matches with an average of 14.8 disposals and 5.3 marks.[8] He was also playing for the Peel Thunder throughout the 2016 and 2017 seasons, in both the Colts and Senior divisions. He played 13 games for the Colts division in 2016, where he averaged 4 marks and 14 disposals a game.[8] He then split his time between the Colts and Seniors in 2017, playing 7 matches in both divisions. He had his best game in the senior team in round 19 of the 2017 WAFL season, where he had 23 disposals and 11 marks.[9] Naughton narrowly missed playing in the Thunder's premiership victory against Subiaco, having former Fremantle player Zac Dawson chosen instead of him.[7]
AFL career
He was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their first selection and ninth overall in the 2017 national draft.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14][15] 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.[16][17]
Career statistics summary
Statistics are correct to the end of round 9, 2021[18]
^The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
