VIC METRO star forward Jack Watts says he feels 'sorry' for Western Australian duo Nicholas Naitanui and Daniel Rich and the pressure on them as prospective No. 1 draft picks.
In the lead-up to Vic Metro's eagerly-awaited clash against WA at Telstra Dome on Wednesday in the NAB AFL under 18 championships, Watts said he wasn't feeling overly anxious as yet another potential No.1 pick himself.
"I really haven't thought of it that way," Watts told afl.com.au.
"We've all heard about Naitanui and Rich and I feel like they've got the pressure a lot more than I do.
"I'm just the new guy and no one has seen a lot of me, so I don't feel a lot of pressure at all about being talked about, because nothing really changes.
"They've got the pressure on them and I feel sorry for them. It's obviously extremely tough for them and if they have one game where they get tagged – they're the main players – they get criticised in the press.
"I don't think it's really fair, but hopefully they're dealing with it in the right way and they'll get on with it."
Watts agreed the attention increased on him after he booted four goals, including the match-winner against Vic Country at the MCG on May 25.
"Any kid wants to get noticed and be up there, but with that game, if I had have missed that last goal, a lot of people wouldn't have looked twice at me, so I can't get caught up in that and live off the goal that I kicked in the first game of the carnival," he said.
"I thought if I could play a few more good games on top of that, I'd have a good base for myself."
Watts said Vic Metro teammate Tom Lynch had been calling him 'Naitanui' since being talked up as a No.1 prospect, although he said it was "all a bit of a joke at the moment".
Still, Watts is relishing the opportunity to be part of the Vic Metro side, which is on the verge of winning this year's title.
"I thought under 18s state footy; I'm a young guy and I'm a year younger than most of them, so I thought there would be a lot of egos and arrogance around the place, but it's just completely wrong and every single guy in there I absolutely love," he said.
"There is not one guy who I haven't formed a good relationship with, and there are a few guys I'm sure I'll be best mates with for the rest of my life.
"Dicko' [Vic Metro coach David Dickson] has helped me out. As a young guy I was a bit nervous when I first came in. He said: 'Don't worry about it and go out and play' – and it's turned out like this."
