Joel Smith

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This article is about the Australian rules footballer. For the drug dealer and murderer see Joel Smith (murderer)

**Joel Smith**
Personal information

Birth	May 3, 1977 (1977-05-03),
Recruited from	Yarrawonga Murray U18
Height and weight	185cm / 87kg
Playing career¹
Debut	Round 3, April 16, 1995, St Kilda vs. Adelaide, at Football Park
Team(s)	St Kilda (1995-1997) 58 games, 51 goals Hawthorn (1998-2007) 221 games, 39 goals
¹ Statistics to end of 2007 season
Career highlights
All-Australian 2001, 2003, Hawthorn Best and Fairest 2001 St. Kilda pre-season premiership team 1996

Joel Smith (born May 3, 1977), is an Australian rules footballer.

Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club. He provided 3 good years of service before being incurring a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury requiring reconstruction late in the 1997 home and away season, missing the Saints' finals series.

A contractual dispute meant he moved to Hawthorn at the end of 1997^{[citation needed]}. While he was injured all throughout 1998 and did not play a game, Hawthorn recognised this talent and kept him on the list.

Smith made his return in the 1999 season and his role at the Hawks was as a running half-back, setting up attacking plays. He has been very successful playing this role throughout his career, and in 2001, won All-Australian selection and the Peter Crimmins Medal. He again won All-Australian selection in 2003, and consistently finished in the top bunch of players in his club's best and fairest award.

Preceded by Nick Holland, Daniel Chick	Hawthorn Best and Fairest winner 2001	Succeeded by Shane Crawford

Hawthorn Football Club – current squad

1 Bailey • 2 Roughead • 3 Lewis • 4 Ladson • 5 Mitchell • 6 Williams • 7 Osborne • 8 Jacobs • 9 Crawford • 10 Bateman • 11 Smith • 12 Sewell • 13 Taylor • 14 Birchall • 15 Hodge • 16 Dowler • 17 Muston • 18 Guerra • 19 Dixon • 20 Boyle • 21 Vandenberg • 22 McGlynn • 23 Franklin • 24 Croad • 25 Clarke • 26 Dawson • 27 Gilham • 28 Little • 29 Murphy • 30 Brown • 31 Thorp • 32 Ellis • 33 Thurgood • 34 Renouf • 35 Morton • 36 Kennedy • 37 Moss • 38 Tuck • 39 Campbell • 40 McEntee* • 41 Collins* • 42 Suckling* • 43 Gibson* • 44 Chandler* • 45 Young • Coach: Clarkson