GDFL 2024: Former Geelong player Billie Smedts signs with Thomson as grand final Tigers depart
In a bombshell signing, a GDFL club has secured the services of a former Geelong player. But four grand final stars won’t be with the club in 2024 — including a ruck star.
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A premiership contender has landed a former Geelong player with Billie Smedts heading to Thomson in a bombshell signing that will help fill the void of four grand final Tigers.
Smedts, 31, played 38 games for Geelong and nine for Carlton across seven seasons at the top level after being taken with pick 15 in the 2010 national draft.
His signature is a major boost for Thomson after a mixed off-season, with coach Paul Lynch confirming Tigers stars Andrew Jarvis, and Mick Barnett both won’t feature for the club in 2024.
Jarvis will be unavailable next season due to work commitments while Mick Barnett is returning to Deniliquin to take over his father’s business.
It comes as Tigers 2023 best-and-fairest winner Jahd Anderson, who is yet to return to full health after his brutal grand final concussion, appears unlikely to return to action this season, while Thomson leading goalkicker Brent Jacques was forced into retirement after surpassing the 16-match suspension threshold in the same game as Anderson’s blow.
It marks a return to Geelong local footy for Smedts after spending a year with Leopold in 2018, where he kicked 30 goals in 18 matches.
He has since played with his junior club North Warrnambool in the Hampden Football Netball League and with Port Melbourne Colts last season.
Smedts is the second AFL player to join the Geelong & District FNL this off-season after 225-game Western Bulldog and Cat Luke Dahlhaus signed with Anakie in October.
Thomson coach Paul Lynch said Smedts, who lives in Geelong, had trained with the club on a few occasions last year while playing with Port Melbourne, with the initial connection helping seal the deal.
He is also good friends with Tigers off-season recruit Boyd and works with Thomson assistant coach Stephen McLeod.
Originally deciding between staying at Port Melbourne and travelling overseas, Smedts then settled on playing with Thomson.
“That initial conversations were whether he was going to play up where he played last year or go overseas for three months, so he kind of changed his mind on that late and we had a chat post Christmas and it worked out after that,” Lynch said.
“Just to break the travel up he trained with us a few times last year so he had that connection to the club and I think he enjoyed training with us last year, so it sort of went from there.
“I think the key thing was he got sick of travelling to Melbourne, I think that was the key he wanted somewhere close.
“He will be great for kids to learn off and he is a great person too which helps. He’ll fit in really well at Thomson and he will get on with the boys well so that was really important.”
ANDERSON RECOVERY
Anderson told this publication in November last year that he had lost his independence as a result of the concussion suffered in the opening minutes of the grand final, after a bump from Inverleigh premiership player Ryan Robertson.
At that point he was unable to work or go to public places due to his concussion symptoms, which included persistent headaches and dizziness.
But in a positive development, Lynch said Anderson’s health is improving with the GDFL team of the year player easing himself back into working from home and able to attend public places.
However, Lynch hasn’t discussed his return to football with his health and wellbeing the number one priority.
“I think he is a lot better from our conversations but I don’t think footy will be on the radar. I tend to support that decision that his health is the most important thing, unless he is 100 per cent healthwise he won’t be playing either,” Lynch said.
“First and foremost at the most we want Jahd healthy, back at work and living his normal life and then if footy becomes a part of the equation this year or next year or whatever, that’s well and good.
“His family life is back to normal and he is getting outside and doing a little bit outside which is good and he is not getting them headaches and dizzy spells he was getting so I think they’re making progress – but he has seen people to help with that.
“He is making small steps and he is out living his life a little bit now which is good – the first two months he didn’t see the light of day much.
“But it is disappointing that a young kid with his head over the footy ends up missing three or four months of work.”
MIDFIELD WEAKNESS
Lynch said that the Tigers needed to address their midfield after being found out by Inverleigh on GDFL grand final day, with Smedts and Mitchell bolstering this area of the ground along with Geelong West reserves recruit Tom Major.
But Lynch is mindful that premier ruckman Jarvis, who led the competition for hitouts last season, Anderson and goalsneak Jacques will be difficult to replace.
“We did well to get to a grand final but we fell over at the last hurdle so we have to make changes to beat Inverleigh. I thought Inverleigh were probably a clear cut above the rest last year when they had a full side on paper and I think that showed for us on grand final day. They just had too many problems that we couldn’t stop,” Lynch said.
“Logan and Billy are hugely important to us because we probably thought we lacked a bit of midfield depth against Inverleigh. That definitely helps that department and young Tommy Major is a midfielder too so that is bringing in some mids to help counteract that problem but then we lose Jahd as well and that probably hurt a little bit,” Lynch said.
“(Jacques) had a great year but I suppose you do the crime, you do the time. We have looked into trying to challenge it but we’re not sure where we’re at with that because it is a long process.
“He is certainly getting to that age where family and all that are starting to come first so it’d be disappointing to lose him but he’s still going to, like Jarvo, keep training and keep his fitness up with us. If he can get involved with a coaching side or something like that he will be invaluable as well.”
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Originally published as GDFL 2024: Former Geelong player Billie Smedts signs with Thomson as grand final Tigers depart
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