Retired # 5: Devon Smith - Hanging up the boots - Thanks for everything Devon! - 12/8

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2023
Last Game Played: Round 11, 2022 (inj)
Injury Status: Mid-season knee surgery no time frame yet - 15/6

My Boy Draft 2022: Claim here

 

[windyhill]

Always seems to follow a trend.
Hurls looks like he's seeing Bambi's mum shot for the first time
Harvs sits there unmoved.

Love Dev. Was my favourite giant from watching their first match.
That SSSSS set of trades sadly never panned out, but he was a great get and did the jumper proud.

Worthy of the #5.
Go well Dev.

....and of course, the Teflon king is front and square...

 

[bacon buster]

I think the only words the players took from his speech were “can’t wait to get on the beers”

Anyway. Well done Dev. I don’t think any of us will know how many times you trotted out far from 100%. If I criticised you after playing poorly when that happened, I apologise

If the rest of the team gave as many craps as you, we wouldn’t be the dumpster fire we are now

Thanks Dev, I enjoyed watching you play.

 

[Lore]

 

[I Remember Bluey]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/sport/former-afl-star-devon-smith-eyes-golfing-career/news-story/bebd4e057287eb8cc06a9c57667268d8

Former AFL star Devon Smith eyes golfing career​

A surprise career change could be on the horizon for a recently retired AFL star. And his new coach is backing him to go bigger than he might have ever dreamt.

Former AFL footballer Devon Smith has set his sights on an exciting career change into the golfing world.
The 29-year-old is in the second year of completing a three-year PGA Professional course which would give him an opportunity to break into the sport.

Smith began the theory component of the PGA course in 2022 while he was at Essendon.

His first ever golf round came in 2018 when he arrived at the Bombers and took up an opportunity to play at the Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club through their partnership with AFL clubs which supports players in playing golf in their leisure time.

After entering his first three rounds, Smith received a handicap of 15 which has quickly fallen to as low as +1.5 in less than six years.

Devon Smith in action on the first tee at Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club. Picture: Max Hatzoglou

Asked if golf would be a career path he would pursue Smith said it was a possibility.

“I’m still playing footy down at Lara this year as a player-coach,” Smith said.

“In between that, playing golf and it’s a wait and see. It’s not like I have ambitions to go and play anywhere but I am not saying the door is fully shut on that.

“People think if you’re a scratch golfer and you should be on tour. There is a massive difference there.

“People don’t realise how good they are and what it takes to get to a +5 handicap and then actually go play and do qualifying school and get on tour and all that stuff.

“It’s quite hard, there’s levels to it.”

Smith played 109 games with the inaugural Greater Western Sydney side before moving to Essendon where the midfielder-forward won a best and fairest in his first season.

Smith’s golfing mentor Geoff Ross, who has been a member of the PGA for more than 25 years, fancied his chances at reaching the highest level.

“Dev has accelerated real quickly with his golf,” Ross said.

“That basically comes down to his sporting background.

“Being an elite sportsman, he has got the discipline, the know how, the endeavour to do it and the passion.

Devon Smith (right) with his golfing mentor Geoff Ross. Picture: Max Hatzoglou

“He has got really good passion which half the guys that I see in my world don’t have the same passion that Dev has for golf.

“So obviously he has the type of personality that when he gets a hold for it, he just runs riot.

“Golf wise, he is elite at this stage.

“There is no limit on what Dev wants to be, that’s up to him.

“Who knows, in three or four years he might go and play on tour.

“He has the ability to do it, it’s up to him.”

Devon Smith is working with the Pro Shop team at Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club as part of his PGA Professional course. Callan Stone, Devon Smith, Geoff Ross and Paul Battaglia pictured.

Ross said Smith was at the “right age” to go for a career in golf at 29.

“Young guys take five, six, seven years to get that elite development in any sport. They’re travelling and it’s all the infrastructure behind it,” he said.

“So the travelling, living away from home, the looking after yourself, he has had that with football so that wouldn’t be a big transition for golf.

“So I think age is good for him, it’s ticked a few boxes.”

The next steps for Smith were completing the playing component of the PGA course this year which would see him competing in more competitions.

 

[Beerfish]

The only thing that bothers me about this is Devon's idea of how to wear a belt.

 

[Zach Package]

The only thing that bothers me about this is Devon's idea of how to wear a belt.

They have extension cords in Lara, this is new territory for him

 

[windyhill]

Dev !

 

[Hamez]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=HSWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldsun.com.au%2Fleader%2Flocalfooty%2Fcountry%2Flara-hit-hard-by-injury-to-cocoach-devon-smith%2Fnews-story%2Fe8ad029c88868128b68fa6bc35c6e821&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-groupb-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append

Ruptured his achilles in his first practice match