I don't think Smith has all that much upside.
In terms of limitations, he's small, and an outside player. He's not very creative, and pretty much kicks long down the line almost every time he gets it.
For an AFL footballer, he's very timid when the heat is on.
Upside is he's super fit, and an amazing runner. At this stage, probably due to very uncontested style he plays, he's very durable. I think he's only missed one game hasn't he?
He's young.
Right now, I'd say he's a handy player, that adds value as the 4th - 5th best mid. He gets little attention from the opposition as they are focussing on Bont, Macrae, Liberace, Dunkley, Treloar, Hunter etc.
The question is, how much better will he become?
He won't get bigger. He won't get faster. Very rare for a timid outside player to become a tough inside player. His poise will improve with experience, but this will coincide with the opposition putting more work into him.
When you looks at the real good mids, they all have a physical edge on their opponents - and they are can rip apart games by winning contests.
Is that something that Smith will ever be able to do? And therefore, will he ever be much more than Ok-good?
One thing is for certain, he'd have currency right now.
So should the Bulldogs sell high? Perhaps use the currency to get a ruckman in, and maybe a Luke Dunstan type cheapie to help Libba with the heavy lifting?
In terms of limitations, he's small, and an outside player. He's not very creative, and pretty much kicks long down the line almost every time he gets it.
For an AFL footballer, he's very timid when the heat is on.
Upside is he's super fit, and an amazing runner. At this stage, probably due to very uncontested style he plays, he's very durable. I think he's only missed one game hasn't he?
He's young.
Right now, I'd say he's a handy player, that adds value as the 4th - 5th best mid. He gets little attention from the opposition as they are focussing on Bont, Macrae, Liberace, Dunkley, Treloar, Hunter etc.
The question is, how much better will he become?
He won't get bigger. He won't get faster. Very rare for a timid outside player to become a tough inside player. His poise will improve with experience, but this will coincide with the opposition putting more work into him.
When you looks at the real good mids, they all have a physical edge on their opponents - and they are can rip apart games by winning contests.
Is that something that Smith will ever be able to do? And therefore, will he ever be much more than Ok-good?
One thing is for certain, he'd have currency right now.
So should the Bulldogs sell high? Perhaps use the currency to get a ruckman in, and maybe a Luke Dunstan type cheapie to help Libba with the heavy lifting?
