Another shattered finals dream to spur on Adelaide star Brodie Smith
ADELAIDE’S comeback king Brodie Smith won’t bow to the pain of another empty September and wants to go the journey with close mate Mitch McGovern.
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ADELAIDE’S comeback king Brodie Smith won’t bow to the pain of another empty September and wants to go the journey with close mate Mitch McGovern.
No-one said football was fair. Smith was Adelaide’s best in Saturday’s night’s loss to GWS in Canberra but will be left at the finals altar this season having watched Adelaide’s 2017 grand final loss from the stands with a snapped ACL.
“It is disappointing, the reason I really pushed was I believed we could get some success this year. I still believe when we play our best footy we are a top quality side,” said Smith, who scooped 29 touches with the rebound of old in his second game back from a knee reconstruction.
“I felt on Saturday night I was able to put a solid game together but it is not about me this time of the year. We were trying to keep ourselves alive and it didn’t go our way.
“If I thought there was a risk I wouldn’t have played. I am confident going forward.”
McGovern, restricted to 10 games this season by injury, is linked with a lucrative move to Victorian suitors including Carlton and St Kilda despite being contracted for another two years. Smith, 26, wants McGovern at West Lakes — the pair have unfinished business after sitting out last year’s decider injured.
“He is just another bloke that is just had a lot of injuries this year and hopefully it is about getting some match fitness and put his hand up for next week,” said Smith of McGovern, who will front for the Crows in the SANFL on Sunday.
“He is a really good mate of mine so I am looking forward to playing some good footy with him for the next couple of weeks and going forward.”
Smith, Rory Sloane (Lisfranc), battered Taylor Walker, McGovern (ankle/shoulder) and Riley Knight (knee/hamstring) have all spent extended periods on the sidelines this year. Banged up Daniel Talia soldiered on with a cracked shin until missing the Canberra trip.
However, Smith said a winning season farewell to home fans next Sunday was first priority rather than rest after a season that has delivered 10 wins.
Adelaide faces a worse outcome than its 10th placing — the last time it missed finals — under Brenton Sanderson in 2014 when Smith was an All Australian. Don Pyke’s side is a world away from the premiership tilt it coveted, two wins and insurmountable percentage out of the eight with matches against North Melbourne and Carlton to follow.
“Just to finish off, we are going to pick our best side, play the best footy we can for the next two weeks,” Smith told The Advertiser.
“It is a quality side the Kangaroos so it is a test for us to give our fans a last game at Adelaide Oval this year and put some good quality football on display, go into pre-season, work on what we need to and really hit 2019 firing.”
Skipper Walker is one Crow who could be destined for an early date with medicos after concussing GWS on-baller Josh Kelly with a sling tackle in Saturday’s night’s season-ending loss at Manuka Oval.
“I saw a bit of a ruckus. That will be a whatever it is. The next two weeks we take forward the best form we can, “ said Smith.
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
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