Nate Caddy poses during Essendon's 2025 team photo day at The Hangar. Picture: AFL Photos

NATE Caddy is working on his landings. 

Last weekend, the Bombers forward plucked one of his how-did-he-grab-that marks in the Bombers' match simulation. Essendon's coaching and fitness staff winced on the sidelines as Caddy hit the Tullamarine turf.

"I landed flat on my back and all the coaches were worried. They're trying to get me to land and roll. I'm not a good lander at all, but I'll never stop playing like that and going for my marks," Caddy told AFL.com.au this week. "If I did stop I probably won't have a job."

The Bombers are simply taking care of perhaps their most prized asset. They might also remember about this time last year, too, when Caddy, in his first few months in the red and black, landed heavily and sat out a few weeks of full training.

Not that that incident took any steam out of the 193cm key forward. Upon return, in just his second VFL game, he had his front tooth knocked out in the opening two minutes of the match. The next week, after an agonising few days, he was back flying for his grabs (new mouthguard in tow).

"It was two minutes into the game, I'd had zero touches and my front tooth got knocked out. It was also a Channel Seven broadcast game so everyone was watching. It was the worst," he recalled at the Bombers' NEC Hangar headquarters.

"It was Easter and our club dentist cancelled his flight to Singapore so he could put my tooth back in. That was probably the worst part, just jamming it back in. I cut my lip open, it was completely mangled. I broke a bone in my mouth and it was the worst pain I'd ever been in. At the time the reason I wasn't going that well was because I was second-guessing myself. In that marking contest I probably second-guessed it and copped a head to the tooth."

Nate Caddy is assisted from the field by trainers after sustaining a knock to the mouth in the VFL match between Essendon and Sandringham on March 31, 2024. Picture: Essendon FC

The point of all this? Caddy doesn't carry much fear. Not in flying high for marks and taking risks on the field. Not in muscling up against bigger, stronger and meaner opponents. And not for shouldering some lofty hopes and excitement Essendon supporters have for the former No.10 draft pick. 

The 19-year-old's 10 games and nine goals in the second half of last year was enough to show everyone of his talents as a marking, jumping, combative, competitive young power forward with plenty to learn but even more to like. Young tall forwards only need to show snippets. Caddy already has a reel. He set himself to be a better runner for season two.

"I haven't always been the most fit bloke but I've turned that around and tried to make myself an elite runner so while I can't outbody opponents just yet, I can try run away from them and beat them back to goal. That was one of my big focuses," Caddy said.

It came to fruition, too. In his 2km time trial before Christmas, Caddy ran 6:36 minutes. After the club's three-week New Year break, Caddy had shaved 20 seconds off that time, completing the run in 6:16 minutes. 

"But it was on grass … so on a track I'd get a bit better than that," he said. "In under-18s I ran 7:48 and I was way off it. I knew I could do better, but I just hadn't. It was a bit of a statement for me to do that run."

Nate Caddy in action during Essendon training session at The Hangar on January 16, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

His improvement has added to a bunch of mobile tall forwards who can run at Essendon, like Kyle Langford and Harrison Jones, and alongside some medium/midfield types who can mark, like Sam Durham and Archie Perkins. Caddy has attended some centre bounces in match practice, and as a junior at the Northern Knights had a couple of monster games playing through the midfield, but expect him to spend the large majority of his time in Essendon's rebranded forward line. For now, anyway.

"We have a lot of midfielders and players in there who have a lot more experience than me in there, but eventually I think it will be something I look into. At the moment I'll just be a forward. In the AFL it's a lot harder to transfer and if I'm going to go up against 'Bont' (Dogs star Marcus Bontempelli) in a game, I'd want to make sure I'm pretty well prepared," he said.

One training clip of Caddy blind-turning, spinning out of trouble and looking as nimble as his skipper Zach Merrett caught the eye on social media in January. But that wasn't necessarily a sign of more to come. 

"That was just a handball drill," Caddy smiled. "I saw it and I thought it looked good, but I didn't even know what drill it was from when I first saw it."

To be fair, most of what Caddy does on the field catches the eye. He was picked as an early draft selection because of his presence and carried that belief into his first season. A dose of confidence fits his billing. "I wouldn't have peroxided hair and wear coloured boots if I didn't [back myself]," he said.

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Not that Caddy thinks he is the finished product. Far from it. That's why he's in a rush to get there. Mentors have told him to not be in a hurry, but he is. 

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"People talk to me about it and I feel like I am because I want to go out there each training and try to be the best. Sometimes people tell me I'm 19 and it will come. I feel like if I just sit back and wait it will pass me by. I'll go as hard as I can and if I'm not patient and it doesn't come then I'll be upset, but I'll be able to push on and it will make me better by the time I'm 23 to be able to launch into a career and hopefully go alright," he said.

"I'm not going to shy away from being as good as I can be as early as I can. If a lot of key forwards start hitting their straps at 24 and I can start my career properly in the next couple of years then it gives me an extra leg up on everyone else, but we'll see how that goes."

Caddy has been joined at the Bombers by close friend and former schoolmate Isaac Kako. They train together in the forwards group and Kako is a red-hot chance to make his AFL debut in Opening Round as Essendon takes on Gold Coast. 

Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako after the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft. Picture: AFL Photos

Caddy has noticed some of the hype around him and a few No.30 jumpers have started to pop up on kids at junior clinics (he considered changing to guernsey No.10 over the off-season but would only swap for a single-digit number). 

"I think it's just because Essendon fans are eager to win and be good. Kako and I are a bit unorthodox and out there, so people might grab onto it and enjoy it," he said. 

"I love it. I'd rather have the hype than not have the hype. At the end of the day we're sportsmen, we're entertainers. The only reason we get paid is because people watch it, so if I can go out there and help my team and also give the fans a bit of a buzz I'll be pretty happy with that."