Isaac Smith (footballer)

Isaac Smith (born 30 December 1988) is a former Australian rules football player who previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club and Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League. Smith was drafted by the Hawthorn with the 19th pick in the 2010 AFL draft and played ten seasons for the Hawks. He took part in each of Hawthorn's three consecutive Grand Final victories from 2013 to 2015. Following the 2020 season, Smith moved to the Geelong Football Club as a free agent and played with the Cats for three seasons. He won his fourth premiership with Geelong in 2022 and was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the game's best player. Smith retired from AFL at the conclusion of the 2023 AFL season, his third year at Geelong.

Isaac Smith
Smith playing for the All-Stars in 2020
Personal information
Nickname(s) Norm Smith
Date of birth (1988-12-30) 30 December 1988
Place of birth Young, New South Wales
Original team(s) North Ballarat (VFL)
Draft No. 19, 2010 national draft
Debut Round 7, 2011, Hawthorn vs. Port Adelaide, at AAMI Stadium
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder / forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2020 Hawthorn 210 (165)
2021–2023 Geelong 070 0(40)
Total 280 (205)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 All-stars 1 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2023.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early career

Smith was born in Young, New South Wales and moved to Cootamundra where he attended school.[1] As a child he played Australian rules football and basketball with Luke Breust in Temora. Moving to Wagga Wagga when he was 13, Smith played with future Hawthorn teammate Matt Suckling in the Wagga Hawks for several years before both moved to the Wagga Tigers where they won two premierships. Smith then played with Albury in the Ovens & Murray Football League in 2007.

Smith later moved to Victoria to take up a Sports Management Degree at the University of Ballarat. He joined the Redan Football Club and became known for being an effective left-footed kick in the Redan reserves. After winning the 2009 senior Ballarat Football League (BFL) Grand Final, he resisted North Ballarat's overtures to do a pre-season with them, but by midway through 2010, he was not only being pulled again by the Roosters, but pushed from within by Redan.[2]

Smith had a meteoric rise in 2010, starting the year playing with Redan in the BFL and finishing in North Ballarat's Victorian Football League (VFL) premiership side.[3] Smith was also a member of the successful Victorian Country Football League (VCFL) team that won the 2010 Australian Country Football Championships in Canberra.[4]

Smith was Hawthorn's first pick in the 2010 AFL Draft, being selected with pick 19.[5] Smith's path to the AFL was considered unusual, as he had been passed on the draft the previous year and had been considered unlikely to be drafted at the start of 2010.[6]

AFL career
Smith after being awarded the Norm Smith Medal at the 2022 AFL Grand Final.

During the 2011 season, Smith drew attention for his reliance on speed rather than strength or size in his playing.[7]

Smith was widely regarded as having a good 2013 season,[8] and was a member of the 2013 Hawthorn premiership side. His performance in the 2013 Grand Final included kicking an outstanding 50m goal in the last quarter.

In the 2016 Qualifying Final match against traditional rivals Geelong, Smith drew attention for missing a relatively simple shot on goal after the siren, the scoring of which would have won Hawthorn the game, and automatically sent them to the preliminary final.[9] Hawthorn would be eliminated from the finals series following a loss in their semi-final match against the Western Bulldogs the following week.[10]

From 2017 to 2019, Smith served as Co-Vice-Captain of the Hawks along with Liam Shiels, but both were replaced in that role prior to the 2019 season by Jack Gunston.[11] Smith remained a member of Hawthorn's leadership group.[12]

At the conclusion of the 2020 season, Smith exercised his rights as a free agent and moved to Geelong.[13]

In 2022 Smith became the oldest player to win the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground in an AFL grand final during Geelong's grand final win over the Sydney Swans, posting 32 disposals and 12 marks to go along with 3 goals in the 81 point win.[14]

On 10 August 2023, Smith announced his retirement from AFL, effective at the end of the season.[15]

Personal life

Smith completed a Masters of Business Administration at Swinburne University.[16]

Statistics
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2011Hawthorn16 16209178123301100401.30.611.17.718.86.32.51
2012Hawthorn16 22171322216438695860.80.610.17.517.54.33.90
2013#Hawthorn16 241816286193479112820.80.711.98.020.04.73.45
2014#Hawthorn16 242415337203540133681.00.614.08.522.55.52.84
2015#Hawthorn16 252312350231581163700.90.614.09.223.26.52.83
2016Hawthorn16 24916335206541139660.40.714.08.622.55.82.84
2017Hawthorn16 221412313187500130650.60.514.28.522.75.93.02
2018Hawthorn16 242614311213524143611.10.613.08.921.86.02.56
2019Hawthorn16 1998273154427100410.50.414.48.122.55.32.20
2020[lower-alpha 1]Hawthorn16 10521007317335210.50.210.07.317.33.52.13
2021Geelong7 24159383167550166380.60.416.07.022.96.91.61
2022#Geelong7 241522339178517161310.60.914.17.421.56.71.35
2023Geelong7 221012326147473139360.50.514.86.721.56.31.60
Career.[17] 28020516037532239599216167050.70.613.48.021.45.82.534

Notes

  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References
  1. Isaac Smith living the dream from The Age 29 September 2013
  2. Hanlon, Peter (5 May 2011). "Young Hawks make most of heady rise". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  3. McDermott, Josh (20 October 2010). "Isaac Smith's big year could get bigger". ABC Ballarat. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  5. "2010 AFL National Draft: who your club picked". The Age. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  6. Muir, Les (7 November 2012). "Hawthorn's Isaac Smith defies system". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  7. Muir, Les (5 October 2011). "Hawthorn's Isaac Smith defies system". Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. "Isaac Smith extends Hawthorn deal to 2016". The Murray Valley Standard. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  9. "Geelong beat Hawks in classic AFL final after Isaac Smith's post-siren miss". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  10. Edmund, Sam (17 September 2016). "Western Bulldogs eliminate Hawthorn with stunning semi-final win, Hawks' four-peat hopes dashed". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  11. Kennett, Jeff (28 February 2019). "Letter to members: Our captain". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  12. Canil, Jourdan (6 February 2020). "Some changes at the top as Hawks name new leaders". Australian Football League. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  13. Cleary, Mitch (30 October 2020). "Veteran wingman joins Cats, Hawks score third-round pick". AFL Media. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  14. Schmook, Nathan (24 September 2022). "Running cat creates history by clinching Norm Smith medal". Australian Football League. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  15. Cats Media (10 August 2023). "Premiership Cat calls time on illustrious AFL career". Geelong Football Club. Australian Football League. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  16. Guthrie, Ben (29 August 2019). "SMITH AND GILLESPIE-JONES ARE TOP OF THE CLASS". AFL Players Association. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  17. "Isaac Smith". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
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