Bernie Smith

Infobox afl player | firstname = Bernie
lastname = Smith




birthdate = birth date|1927|12|19|df=y
birthplace =
heightweight = 175cm / 77 kg
originalteam = West Adelaide, (SANFL)
dead = dead
deathdate = death date|1985|4|21
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 1, 1948
debutteam = Geelong
debutopponent = Fitzroy
debutstadium = Brunswick St Oval
playingteams = West Adelaide (1945-1947)
* 55 gamesGeelong (1948-1958)
* 183 career games; 3 goals
coach = coach
coachingteams =
statsend = 1958
careerhighlights =

* West Adelaide Best & Fairest 1947
* West Adelaide Premiership 1947 (BOG)
* Brownlow Medal 1951
* Geelong Carji Greeves Medal Best & Fairest 1951, 1956
* Geelong Premiership 1951, 1952
* Geelong Captain 1950, 1954
* South Australian rep 1 game
* Victorian rep 4 games
* All Australian 1953
* Named in both Geelong's and the AFL's official 'Team of the Century'
* Inducted Australian Football Hall of Fame 1996

Bernie Smith (19 December 1927 - 21 April 1985) [ [http://www.afl.com.au/AFLHQ/Awards/HallofFame/Players/tabid/856/default.aspx Hall of Fame players at the AFL official website] ] was an Australian rules footballer in the SANFL and VFL, who is perhaps best remembered as one of the greatest back pockets in the history of the game.

SANFL career

Smith commenced his career with West Adelaide in the South Australian Football League as a 16 year old in 1945. Playing primarily as a centre, Smith was an outstanding player.

He won the Best and Fairest award for West Adelaide in 1947, the same year that he played in their Grand Final triumph over Norwood, in which he was widely acknowledged as the best player afield. [http://www.westies.com.au/docs/team/legends.html]

Also in 1947 Smith represented South Australia at the interstate carnival, attracting the attention of the Victorian club, Geelong.

VFL career

Smith was recruited to Geelong for the 1948 season and played centreman during his first few years in the (then) Victorian Football League.

Moved to the back pocket by coach Reg Hickey in 1951 he won both the club best and fairest award and the Brownlow Medal that same season, while for good measure he was among the Cats' best in their grand final defeat of Essendon.

In combination with the dashing Fullback Bruce Morrison he created a sturdy defensive wall, and started the forward moves going again with his precision kicking. Under their leadership the Geelong defence was so strong that rival coaches had to turn their minds to finding ways through to goal.

"Bernie Smith had a big smile, fair curly hair and looked like a country boy playing a country game of football. It seemed, however, that everywhere that Bernie went the ball was sure to go. "He was immensely popular around the club and his adopted city of Geelong." [cite book |last=Ross |first=John |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Australian Football Hall of Fame |year=1999 |publisher=HarperCollinsPublishers |location=Australia |id=ISBN 0-7322-6426-X | pages=p. 121 ]

In 1996 Smith was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

ee also

* 1951 VFL season
* 1952 VFL season
* 1953 VFL season

External links

* [http://www.gfc.com.au/TheClub/Players/PlayerProfile/tabid/8137/Default.aspx?playerid=15385&typeid=CENT30 Geelong Football Club bio]
* [http://www.westies.com.au/docs/team/legends.html West Adelaide bio]
*AflRleague|ref=B/Bernie_Smith.html

References

* Decreased - Melbourne's Herald Sun, August 18, 2007 - Page 90.