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

 

[boncer34]

Has he been best 22 though since his return?

Moot point, he’s been re-signed.

Yes. Who has he kept out of the side?

 

[DallasCrane316]

Very happy to see him re-sign.

To do it early in the season is a good indication on him liking the direction of the club etc.

 

[The Donners]

Yes. Who has he kept out of the side?

It’s not necessarily who he’s kept out it’s who we’ve had missing. Last year, had Daniher, Hooker, Ambrose, Heppell, Fantasia, Stringer and McKenna been available all at the same time he wouldn’t have been best 22. We would’ve had a completely different team day structure.

He certainly wouldn’t have taken McKenna’s position running off half back. They found a position for him. He was bog average until then and then did ok but he wasn’t the preferred option.

This year, had Heppell, Shiel and Caldwell been available against the Saints I’d argue he would’ve struggled to play. He played like a man that was told he was about to lose his spot.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Anyone complaining about this should watch the video at the top of the thread. You'll feel heaps better

 

[11kgm]

as long as it is heavily front loaded im happ

 

[boncer34]

It’s not necessarily who he’s kept out it’s who we’ve had missing. Last year, had Daniher, Hooker, Ambrose, Heppell, Fantasia, Stringer and McKenna been available all at the same time he wouldn’t have been best 22. We would’ve had a completely different team day structure.

He certainly wouldn’t have taken McKenna’s position running off half back. They found a position for him. He was bog average until then and then did ok but he wasn’t the preferred option.

This year, had Heppell, Shiel and Caldwell been available against the Saints I’d argue he would’ve struggled to play. He played like a man that was told he was about to lose his spot.

Striker Daniher, Hooker and Ambrose because none of them would've kicked him out of the side.

Zaharakis, Cutler, Redman, Snelling, Clarke, Ham, Hibber and Guelfi got games last year. He was better than all last year.

He's best 22.

It's 2 years for a 27/28 year old who's currently best 22. Par for the course business.

 

[The Donners]

Striker Daniher, Hooker and Ambrose because none of them would've kicked him out of the side.

Zaharakis, Cutler, Redman, Snelling, Clarke, Ham, Hibber and Guelfi got games last year. He was better than all last year.

He's best 22.

It's 2 years for a 27/28 year old who's currently best 22. Par for the course business.

We’ll have to agree to disagree.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Wait, did the email that we got saying that he has signed on suggest a weird nickname for him for anyone else?

 

[brutus76]

Hope he took a pay cut

 

[Doss]

We’ll have to agree to disagree.

What are you disagreeing with exactly? He’s right. Smith was better than all of those mentioned in his second paragraph (which doesn’t say much for their form, but that’s not the point) and the talls obviously don’t come into the conversation.

With our form, even allowing for Smith’s below par form, there is no world where he hasn’t been best 22 since the beginning of 2020.

 

[The Donners]

What are you disagreeing with exactly? He’s right. Smith was better than all of those mentioned in his second paragraph (which doesn’t say much for their form, but that’s not the point) and the talls obviously don’t come into the conversation.

With our form, even allowing for Smith’s below par form, there is no world where he hasn’t been best 22 since the beginning of 2020.

Re the talls not coming into conversation, I disagree. Our team structure would’ve changed completely.

2020

B: Hurley Ambrose Saad
HB: Ridley Hooker McKenna
C: Redman Heppell Langford
HF: Stringer Stewart Parish
F: Fantasia Daniher Tipungwuti
Foll: Draper Merrett Shiel
Int: Zaharakis McGrath Francis McKernan

With Saad, Daniher, Fantasia, McKenna and McKernan gone, Hind, Wright, Jones, Caldwell and Cox come in.

You can argue Smith comes in for Zaharakis if you want but 2020 form it’d be a shitshow race for the number 22 spot.

 

[Doss]

Well if he plays as he did against St Kilda he’s absolutely best 22.

But yeah witches hats etc. And round and round we go.

 

[Duckworth]

The names mentioned in the second paragraph, with the exception of Zaharakis and Redman, they’re our VFL players. Had the list of players I’d mentioned been available they wouldn’t have got a game either. Redman was horrible last year and Zaharakis must have compromising photos.

If I was penning our best 22 Smith wouldn’t be in it and neither would the rest of the players mentioned in the second paragraph based off 2020 and 2021 form.

If Smith is better than all of our VFL players, doesn't that make him best 22 by default?

 

[Pweter]

I think some people only feel good when they have something to rage about so they find reasons to rage.

At worst Smith is good depth/insurance, at best he is a valuable contributor for a while yet.

 

[boncer34]

The names mentioned in the second paragraph, with the exception of Zaharakis and Redman, they’re our VFL players. Had the list of players I’d mentioned been available they wouldn’t have got a game either. Redman was horrible last year and Zaharakis must have compromising photos.

If I was penning our best 22 Smith wouldn’t be in it and neither would the rest of the players mentioned in the second paragraph based off 2020 and 2021 form.

They might not have got games in your ideal world but you named 4 blokes who were injured that potentially would've been better than Smith. I named 8 blokes who did get games who were worse than Smith.

For the hell of it pen our ideal best 22 from last year.

 

[staaation]

reluctant as I am to give any credit to the list management team, I really don't think they're breaking the bank to keep him. His contract won't be the reason we can't re-sign someone else and if he gets his body right he adds good value.

 

[Karp3_dm]

Hey guys, sorry to intrude.. will Devon play more midfield tonight since shiel is out?
gl tonight, hope u beat swans

 

[DapperJong]

Hey guys, sorry to intrude.. will Devon play more midfield tonight since shiel is out?
gl tonight, hope u beat swans

Nothing different to his role last week.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Hey guys, sorry to intrude.. will Devon play more midfield tonight since shiel is out?
gl tonight, hope u beat swans

Probably not. We'll have Parish in the guts permanently you'd think.

 

[BrunoV]

He played very well last weekend. Do they come good every so often?

Seems to be about once every 8 weeks in the last 3 seasons.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Seems to be about once every 8 weeks in the last 3 seasons.

In fairness he did miss nearly all of 2019 and last year was unique to be coming back from serious knee injury

 

[BrunoV]

In fairness he did miss nearly all of 2019 and last year was unique to be coming back from serious knee injury

Averages can be misleading.

 

[Zach Package]

Keeps going out of his way to try and set up Waterman, Cox, Jones and Perkins in front of goal.

Undroppable as long as he’s this version of himself

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Improving.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Still plenty to give as long as he's been playing team-first football, which to his credit, he has been much better at doing this year.

He has burnt a couple teammates this year trying to go for the highlight reel goal and sure a couple times it has come off. If he can improve on that aspect of his game then happy to have him onboard.