Devon Smith opens up on his decision to leave GWS and his lifelong friendship with Taylor Adams

Close mates Devon Smith and Taylor Adams will be on opposing sides when Essendon meets Collingwood on Anzac Day. But the former Giants were close to being reunited in black and white.

Taylor Adams and Devon Smith have a long history together.

My good mate Taylor Adams was in my ear about coming to Collingwood.

At the end of 2017 when I left Greater Western Sydney I had a big decision to make and there were four clubs interested — St Kilda, Carlton, Essendon and the Magpies.

“Tay” went to Collingwood four years earlier and said how great the club was.

But Essendon just felt like the right fit. It was a club on the up and the opportunity to play more midfield minutes at the Bombers was a carrot, in the end, I couldn’t ignore.

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Thursday’s ANZAC Day blockbuster, as always, will be an incredibly special day.

It is a chance to pay our respects, and most importantly play with the spirit and sacrifice that hopefully honours the diggers, and all they’ve done for our country.

In those precious few minutes before the bounce, when the two teams are linked-up arm-in-arm and the Last Post is playing, I’ll no doubt have goosebumps.

I’ll also look across at one of my best mates, Taylor, and think about how lucky we are to get the opportunity to share this wonderful stage together.

Devon Smith and Taylor Adams in their early days at the Giants.

Taylor is a bloke I’ve come to know like a brother since we first locked horns as 14-year-olds in the Geelong Falcons program.

We were super-competitive to begin with and inseparable by the time we hit 16.

Through all the rep games, all the tryouts, and all the trainings, we would always stay at each other’s houses, travel together and were always kicking the footy together in the backyard and at the oval, dreaming of one day playing AFL together.

Back in our junior days, Taylor might have been a little pudgier than he is now, but he played with absolute bravery and determination, much like he does today.

Some might have thought he was mad.

I remember looking into his angry green eyes on the footy field and, if you’ve seen the film Monsters Inc, you’ll know what I mean by “Randall Mode”.

His nostrils would flare and he would just beeline the footy.

Another one of my former Greater Western Sydney teammates Will Hoskin-Elliott says while Tay has dialled things down a little bit on the training track, he can still get fiery.

Apparently his pre-season battles with Levi Greenwood are fun to watch.

He plays footy in top-gear, Tay, and is one of the most selfless guys I’ve ever played with, which is why he is made for the ANZAC Day stage.

Devon Smith and Taylor Adams in their early days in the AFL.

He is someone who leads by example and I always felt a sense of security and walked taller when I went out on to the field alongside him.

But there was a period there when we were about 17 that he got a bit of a jolt.

He was overlooked for the AFL-AIS squad, and was disappointed, but he went to another level in his training and commitment after that reality check.

He worked hard on his fitness and his kicking that year to become one of the best under-18 players in the country.

And he is one of the sweatiest footballers you will ever come across. He sweats so much, Tay, he used to train with sweatbands on, because it would just pour off him.

At the 2012 national draft, we were both taken by GWS at No. 13 (him) and No. 14 (me), probably one pick earlier than I suspected I would go.

Richmond had pick No. 15 and selected Brandon Ellis, but Tay and I went up together to GWS.

It was full of ups and downs. It was a great experience to be part of the start of an AFL club, but the 100-point losses early on were a huge test.

The guys formed really strong bonds living together in the Breakfast Point complex and from that perspective it felt a bit like school camp.

One day we came up with a high-stakes rock scissors paper challenge.

There was Tay, Jeremy Cameron, Stephen Coniglio, Jon Patton and myself sitting alongside the Paramatta River.

The loser had to either do a nude run down the main road or get on a ferry and jump off and swim to shore.

Taylor lost, to my delight. So he got on the ferry, jumped off it, and swam the few hundred metres back to where we stood, all laughing.

Devon Smith and Taylor Adams crashing packs in the under 18s.

Early days at the Giants for Devon Smith and Taylor Adams.

He was great to live with because he was a clean-freak and a great cook. Everything was always neat and tidy and his work in the kitchen was first class.

Thanks for all those dinners, mate.

He introduced me to coffee when we were up in Sydney, something I probably appreciate more now that we are both back in Melbourne.

I had a feeling Tay wanted to come home the year he ended up requesting a trade from the Giants.

The Giants needed the salary cap space to try to get Lance Franklin, so the offer to Tay from the Giants wasn’t great. In the end, he took the opportunity to go to Collingwood, where he is now part of the leadership group.

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A couple of years later, I was in a similar situation where I was looking to return home to Victoria.

Tay was a great sounding board and although he was unhappy I didn’t pick the Magpies, I appreciated the chance to be able to pick his brains about making the move.

But there will be no time for niceties when the ball is bounced on Thursday.

The Pies beat us pretty convincingly by 49 points last year.

Hopefully we can turn the tables this week.