St Mary’s ruckman Ryan Smith says 2019-20 NTFL Grand Final could be decided late in the game

SAINTS’ pivotal ruckman and long-serving star Ryan Smith is no stranger to grand-final footy, and he will be expecting a typically aggressive NTFL title decider against reigning premiers Nightcliff.Smith joined St Mary’s as an under-18 player for the 2003-04 season – coincidentally the last time the Green Machine and Nightcliff met in the big dance.

Saints ruckman Ryan Smith believes tomorrow night’s 2019-20 NTFL Grand Final could be decided late in the game. Picture: KERI MEGELUS

SAINTS’ pivotal ruckman and long-serving star Ryan Smith is no stranger to grand-final footy, and he will be expecting a typically aggressive NTFL title decider against reigning premiers Nightcliff.

Smith joined St Mary’s as an under-18 player for the 2003-04 season – coincidentally the last time the Green Machine and Nightcliff met in the big dance.

Since then the ace ball-getter has become a pivotal cog at Saints, playing in multiple grand finals and premiership-winning sides.

And now after a stellar season, which has all but pushed memories of last season’s wooden spoon out of mind, he will get another chance at the big prize.

“This season I’ve just been enjoying my footy and focusing on the work that I can do, keeping it simple really,” Smith told the NT News.

“Last year was a one-off learning experience for us, a blip, I don’t think it will happen again but we all learned from the experience.

“The mood around the club has honestly been great all season, we’ve signed some good recruits and have some in-form young players so there’s a great vibe around the club.”

Coach Anthony Vallejo sees Smith as one of the key players in the side due to his vital contributions in the ruck.

“Ryan has been a great player for us and does a fantastic job juggling being our key ruckman with his other commitments,” Vallejo said.

“His willingness to work and his contest each week sets him apart.

“It all starts in the middle and Ryan is a big contributor there, and will be again this weekend as he has been for us all season.”

The experienced ruckman, however, prefers to defer the praise to the rest of his squad, particularly the young up-and-comers such as Joseph Salmon, Jacob Long and Maurice Rioli Jr.

These young stars have already started to form the core of this Saints side, and will make the club a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Through all his experience, though, Smith knows that a win in the grand final is not a done deal for Saints.

They may have got the better of Nightcliff by 26 points in the major semi-final, but the ruckman expects a quick, aggressive start from his finals foes this time around.

“Nightcliff will come into this encounter super aggressive and will look to start quickly,” Smith said.

“They have a lot of confident, big-game players and will know what to do so I think it will be an even tussle for most of the game, with one team maybe pulling away.”