Nate Caddy's embarrassing miss to goal-of-the-year contender: Essendon excitement machine

Contributor
Kieran Francis
Nate Caddy's embarrassing miss to goal-of-the-year contender: Essendon excitement machine image

Nate Caddy is absolute box office at only 19 years old.

The Essendon key forward is already one of the most exciting players in the game with his athleticism and enthusiasm underpinning his extraordinary talent.

This was all on display in the Bombers' defeat to Brisbane on Thursday night, as the no.10 pick from the 2023 draft dazzled and frustrated - but was an absolute must-watch.

After kicking a goal early in the third quarter, Caddy had an opportunity to nail a second a few minutes later and get the Bombers back to a six-point margin.

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But after taking the pack mark, Caddy inexplicably played on from 15m out and sprayed his shot across goal in one of the misses of the season.

But the Essendon talent made up for it later in the quarter, snagging a goal-of-the-year contender by kicking the ball over his head to draw scores level with five minutes remaining in the term.

Bombers coach Brad Scott stated it was the best game Caddy has played, gushing in excitement about what the key forward is going to produce in the future.

“That’s the best game I’ve seen him play, and not just because of the goal over his head,” Scott said post-match.

“He’s going to learn that he’s capable of challenging the best key defenders (Harris Andrews) in the competition.

“He’s just a really impressive athlete, and he can do things that others can’t.

“There’s not many 19-year-olds who can, when Peter Wright’s in the ruck and Todd Goldstein’s having a well-earned rest, he’s holding up, you know, a forward line.

“I can’t recall too many 19-year-olds doing that. He’s been terrific for us, and we still think there’s so much upside, so clearly we’re excited.”