Adelaide defender Brodie Smith says reaching his 250th game this weekend will be one of the most special moments of his career.
Smith, an SA product who was the Crows’ first selection at the 2010 AFL National Draft, will notch the feat in the clash against Fremantle at Optus Oval this Friday.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 32-year-old said it was an honour to have earned the right to play 250 games, with his name featuring alongside other greats of the Club, including Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane.
“It (the milestone) means a lot,” Smith said
“The milestones along the way I haven’t really bought into or soaked in, but I have with this one.
“With Tex and Sloane doing it last year and knowing I wasn’t too far away, it’s a pretty cool moment to know I’ve played as many games as legends of the footy Club.
“Seeing the week they had leading into theirs and then yesterday having a morning tea with all the staff and a few of the boys speaking and those sorts of things, it’s pretty special.
“It’s been 14 years now at the same footy Club and I’ve loved every minute of it and hopefully there’s more to go.”
The now 32-year-old was drafted from Woodville-West Torrens and quickly made an impact during his first pre-season, earning a debut in Round One, 2011.
He was named in the All Australian team and earned selection in the AFL’s 22Under22 side in 2014 and went on to play a key role in Adelaide’s 2017 season, before a heartbreaking ACL injury in the Qualifying Final that year.
Smith returned to the field just 317 days later through the SANFL and featured in all 22 games in 2019.
Despite spending time in the midfield, Smith returned to Adelaide’s defence in 2023 and enjoyed a solid season, lining up in 22 games and averaging 21.2 disposals.
He described his career as having been a “rollercoaster” but was grateful to have sustained a long career at the elite level.
“There’s been plenty of highs and lows but I’ve loved every minute,” Smith said.
“I feel like it’s been a character-building journey through those times… I’ve learned a lot about myself and it’s been a great journey.
“I remember being in the gym at Woodville-West Torrens and just wanting to get my name up on that board there to play a League game.
“To stand here now, 250 AFL games later, it’s still pretty surreal and I can’t really believe that it’s happened.”
The Crows’ and Smith’s start to the 2024 AFL campaign has been difficult, with the side going down in the first two matches.
But the backman is confident both he and the squad can turn things around.
“Certainly I know I need to be better and my form needs to be better, but I’ve put a lot of work in the last two or three days, on the track, off the track…to get myself in a good mind space to play well this week and then take that into the rest of the year,” Smith said.
“The big thing I worked on this week was going back to kicking fundamentals and just building confidence again.
“Clearly it’s a massive game for the Club.
“We aren’t very far away… ball use is definitely something we’ve looked at, which we know we can do, so it’s an easy fix just to lower our eyes a bit more.”
Adelaide plays Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Friday at 7pm ACDT (4.30pm local). The game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 in Adelaide and nationwide on Fox Footy and Kayo.
