Dear Nic,

Just before last week's game between West Coast and North Melbourne I tweeted: "Watch Majak Daw and Nic Naitanui tonight for a glimpse of the future."

You didn't let us down. You and Majak even went head to head at the centre bounce in what was an iconic image for our game. Who knows - this could be a glimpse of the future of football in Western Sydney.

The finale to the game was equally memorable and certainly more dramatic. With just 30 seconds to go, you soared over the pack to pluck a great mark and then coolly slotted the goal after the siren to give the Eagles a two point win.

No wonder John Worsfold said later that he'd wished he'd had you in that pocket at the MCG in the dying moments of the 2005 Grand Final. As he said, it might have been a case of "Leo who?"

Like Leo Barry, you have now provided the game with another special moment. And wow, what an unforgettable moment it was. Indeed the last few minutes were just a fantastic advertisement for our game.

And so are you. For starters, there is your story. Born to Fijian parents in Penrith in Western Sydney, as a young boy you moved to Western Australia after your father's death.

There you lived in the same street as two other young guys who would also go on to play AFL, Chris Yarran and Michael Walters. I remember Emma Quayle once wrote a fantastic story on the three of you called 'A Street Named Desire'.

You must have been a hell of a junior player because you were drafted with the number two pick by the Eagles and given Ben Cousins' old number, nine.

From the moment you set foot on an AFL field you captured the public's imagination with your extraordinary athleticism, prodigious leap and ability to provide dazzling moments like last weekend. Our game needs stars and you are truly one of those.

But what I also like about you is the way you go about your football and your life. There is a youthful energy and freshness to your approach. It was on display when you leapt over the court announcer to perform that slam dunk at a Perth

Wildcats basketball game - another dazzling moment that had more than 100,000 views on YouTube.

You have also become an AFL Multicultural Ambassador and proudly represented your heritage as do other ambassadors such as Bachar Houli, Setanta O'hAilpin, Majak Daw and Harry O'Brien. As you know only too well, diversity is critical to our game.

I only wish you had never left Western Sydney and had played for the GIANTS. I even suggested this week that perhaps we should give up all our draft picks this year to get you. I know I've said some out there things in my time but it may not be as crazy as it first seems.

I am pleased though that you will be coming here this Saturday when the Eagles play the GIANTS at ŠKODA Stadium. Our game needs drawcards and you are certainly one of those. I know if I was a sports fan in Sydney where I would be heading at 2pm this Saturday.

So how am I going to stop you? I've given it a lot of thought and I've come up with a radical idea. I've asked for the nets behind the goals at ŠKODA Stadium to be suspended in the air above the ground. If we can't stop you at ground level, we might be able to net you when you leap in the air. Now that would be a YouTube sensation.

Regards,
Sheeds