Originally from Wangaratta, Naish won the 1988 Ovens & Murray Football League Rookie of the Year award and represented Victoria in the 1988 Teal Cup.
Naish was part of a talented batch of juniors, earning All-Australian selection along with Wayne Carey, Robert Harvey and Jose Romero in 1988.
Naish was considered an inventive and clever forward while playing for Richmond and he earned a spot in the Victorian state of origin side.
Naish studied sports business at university and worked with the Australian National Basketball League before becoming Chief Operating Officer with AFL SportsReady, an AFL sponsored organisation working to help young adults find their way into training and employment.
[2][3] After retiring from playing in the AFL, he coached high school football at Scotch College for 15 years.