Brodie Smith (footballer)

Early career

Smith made his debut in round 1 of his very first season, 2011, against Hawthorn. He played 14 games in his first season and showed plenty of maturity for a first-year player, averaging 13 disposals per game. He played 22 games including three finals in 2012 as a running defender, shutting down opposition forwards such as Steve Johnson and providing run off half-back, also becoming noted for kicking goals from long range.^[6] Despite fracturing his collarbone in the 2013 pre-season,^[7] Smith played the final 18 games of the season, continuing to play mainly at half-back. He played his 50th game in round 19 against Port Adelaide and gathered a personal-best 29 possessions in the last game against West Coast.^[6]

Prime years and All-Australian selection

Smith signed a new contract with the Crows early in the 2014 season, keeping him at the club until 2016.^[8] He went on to have a career-best year at the club, averaging 23 disposals and ranking first in the competition for long kicks and second for rebound 50s and metres gained. This earned him selection in the All-Australian team and in the Australian international rules football team for the 2014 International Rules Test.^[6][9] Smith remained one of the AFL's most damaging half-backs in 2015, recovering from two concussions early in the season to lead the club in rebound 50s and finish fifth in the AFL for metres gained.^[6]

In the First Qualifying Final against Greater Western Sydney in 2017, Smith tore his ACL in the first quarter after kicking the Crows' first goal for the match. The injury unfortunately ended his season and his chances to play in a grand final, but Adelaide went on to win the match by 36 points.^[10] Due to the nature of his injury, he missed the majority of the 2018 season.^[11]

Smith returned from injury only eleven months later to feature in the last few games of the 2018 AFL season, but went on to play in all 22 games the following year. In 2020, Smith captained the Crows in the absence of Adelaide captain Rory Sloane.^[3]

Late career

Smith, in the absence of captain Rory Sloane, became the captain of the Crows for a few games in 2022. Most notably, Smith was the stand-in captain during the Showdown win in round 3 which was won after the siren.

An underrated player in his later years, Smith achieved a new career-best 37 disposals in a Round 20 clash with Carlton in 2022. Only a few months later, he kicked the first goal in the history of the AFL's Gather Round in 2023. After the 2023 season, Smith took up a temporary role as assistant coach of Adelaide's AFLW team, becoming the defensive coach in the absence of Marijana Rajčić during her maternity leave.^[12] He played his 250th AFL game in the round 3, 2024 loss to Fremantle.^[13]

Prior to the 2025 season, Smith was involved in physical contact with Port Adelaide's Christian Moraes in a match simulation. The Crow was banned for a week by the AFL, meaning he would miss round one against St Kilda.^[14] At times struggling to play his best football, Smith was also demoted from Adelaide's leadership group the following week.^[15] He returned to the side during 2025 and made an impact, often playing as the medical substitute. At the conclusion of Adelaide's season, Smith retired from professional football, having played 273 games for the club across 15 years.^[2]