Former AFL high-mark merchant Shaun Smith joins the VWFL coaching ranks

ST KILDA Sharks will have ex-league high flyer Shaun Smith guiding their fortunes in the first season of the VWFL State League.

1995. Shaun Smith goes high for the mark over teammate Garry Lyon. Brisbane Bears v Melbourne. Gabba. Screen grab. Picture: Channel Seven Sport.

ST KILDA Sharks were looking for a new coach. Shaun Smith was looking to get back involved in football after a 12-month break brought on by work.

So Sharks president Keryn Ralph’s timing was ideal when she phoned the former North Melbourne and Melbourne flyer asking about his plans for 2016.

Smith quickly accepted the senior coaching position and the challenge of leading the Sharks into the first year of the Victorian Women’s Football League State League competition.

Last season they finished fourth in the six-team Premier Division.

Smith, 46, coached the Berwick women’s team from 2012-14, enjoying the experience after previously coaching men in suburban and country football.

“I think women’s footy is the game played at its purest level,’’ he said.

“There is no money involved. It actually costs the players money to play.

“They play for the club, for the enjoyment of the game. They’re dedicated. They go out and train hard and during a game they go as hard for the ball as anything I’ve ever seen.

“Money-wise, it’s a bit different with some of the blokes. They always think they can get an extra $100 from the club down the road.’’

Smith said coaching at women’s club involved working with established players as well as newcomers to football. “It’s a broad spectrum. That’s one of the challenges of it, makes it fun.’’

He said it was an exciting time to get back involved with women’s football, with a national competition to be launched next year and players being put through Academy programs.

Shaun Smith says women’s football is “the game played at its purest level’’.

St Kilda has Phoebe McWilliams, Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Mo Hope, Pepa Randall, Brittany Bonnici and Brianna Davey in the Open academy.

From last season’s team the Sharks have shed experience in Lauren Bazeley, Belinda Hately and Amy Catterall.

But former state player Meg Downie will play a full season and McWilliams said the improvement of young players like Randall, Davey and Lucas-Rodd could cover the losses.

She said it had been enjoyable to have Smith “put a fresh set of eyes’’ over the players.

St Kilda will again run three sides, with club stalwart Cassandra “Caspa’’ Brooks to steer the reserves.

During his league career Smith played under John Kennedy, Wayne Schimmelbusch, Denis Pagan, Neil Balme and Neale Daniher. And during a long stay at Werribee he took his orders from Donald McDonald, Alastair Clarkson and Chris Bond.

Clarkson coached the Bees for only one season, 2000, before heading to Central District in the SANFL.

Smith had also played alongside him at the Roos and the Demons. Could he have predicted that Clarkson would enjoy such spectacular success with Hawthorn?

“No, not really. If you could you’d be a magician. But I really liked ‘Clarko’ as a coach. Very hard man, very focused man, my way or the highway sort of thing. After he left Werribee he had a huge impact at Central Districts pretty much straight away. He set the club up to win multiple flags.’’

Smith played 109 AFL matches and for as long as the game is played he will be remembered for his wondrous high mark when playing for Melbourne against Brisbane in 1995.

He regularly gets asked about it; even a couple of Sharks players have mentioned the gargantuan Gabba grab.

Smith said it was the best mark he took but some who saw a speccie he dragged in against Box Hill at Werribee in the 1990s rated it higher.

*St Kilda is looking for sponsors, players, assistant coaches and team managers for the 2016 season. Contact Keryn Ralph on 0402 287 855.