By James Dampney
GREATER Western Sydney's Jonathon Patton says he has avoided the scrutiny usually associated with No.1 NAB AFL Draft picks - and he isn't worried about statistics when he makes his debut on Saturday.
Patton has been in cotton wool since undergoing knee surgery in Sweden in January, with the club taking a very patient approach with one of its prized assets, who will run out for the first time against Richmond at Skoda Stadium.
The 19-year-old believes his carefully orchestrated build-up to his debut, plus playing in western Sydney, has helped him duck some of the attention top draft picks typically face.
"It definitely has, especially being in Sydney," he told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
"That's been pretty helpful. Looking at (fellow top picks) Jack Watts and Tom Scully when they were in Melbourne, they had heaps of scrutiny over them, so I think that's helped a lot.
"I've spoken to a few guys at the club and I’m not too worried about how many kicks or marks or goals I get; I just want to have a run around and get a taste of AFL footy."
Top picks have had varying levels of success on debut in recent years, with Scully's 20 possessions for Melbourne against Hawthorn in 2010 and Matthew Kreuzer's 16 touches and two goals for Carlton versus Essendon in 2008 among the standouts.
But there have also been some quiet first appearances, including Nick Riewoldt's three disposals and no goals in 2001 and Watts' eight possessions against Collingwood in 2009.
Coach Kevin Sheedy is unconcerned by numbers, however, with the veteran mentor excited to finally see his long-envisaged forward line of Patton, Jeremy Cameron and Israel Folau together for the first time.
"It's a great opportunity for our fans and our club to see the number one draft pick in the AFL go out there," Sheedy said.
"I think Jonathon will just love to get out there after his operation and recovery and I think we've done the right thing by not rushing him back too early.
"As a coaching group we're pretty excited to have him out there, it'll help Izzy, and they're three extremely talented young tall players who can eventually take this club forward."
Patton is prepared for some rough treatment from the Tigers, similar to what
Watts received from Collingwood on his debut, and believes he can open up some space for Folau.
Sheedy doesn't yet know whether the 197cm Patton can co-exist alongside Cameron (196cm) and Folau (193cm) in the same forward line, but he is confident the trio will succeed in the long-term.
"Whether it's practical or not, we'll find out," Sheedy said.
"But we're going to try it and in the end I know that in the finals, the taller players generally in the end win the game, like Tom Hawkins did in the Grand Final [last year].
"I had that with [Matthew] Lloyd and [Scott] Lucas and [Paul] Vander Haar and Paul Salmon and Roger Merrett over the years.
"I still believe that two or three top-class tall players with a bit of ferocity in their play will stand the test of time in the AFL."
James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs
