Nigel Smart

This article is about the Australian rules footballer. For the cryptographer, see Nigel Smart (cryptographer).
Nigel Smart
Personal information
Full nameNigel Smart
Date of birth21 May 1969
Original teamSouth Adelaide (SANFL)
Height/Weight188 cm (6 ft 2 in) / 91 kg (14 st 5 lb)
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1991-2004Adelaide278 (116)
1 Playing statistics correct to end of 2004 season.
Career highlights

Nigel James Smart (born 21 May 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL) and South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) during the 1990s and 2000s.[1] Smart played most of his career in defence, and became a crowd favourite easily identifiable with his bald head and goatee.

Career

Smart made his senior debut in 1988 in the SANFL with South Adelaide Football Club and was a member of the Adelaide Crows squad for their inaugural season in 1991. Smart was named at full-back for Adelaide's Round One match against Hawthorn, standing superstar full-forward Jason Dunstall.[2] On his AFL debut Smart collected six kicks, nine handballs and grabbed six marks.

At the end of the 1991 season, Smart would become Adelaide's first ever All-Australian, selected in the Back pocket.

One of the most famous incidents attributed to Smart's career was during the 1992 pre-season, when the Crows organised a session to walk over hot coals. Smart suffered severe burns to his feet but returned to play football soon after.

Smart was one of the key players in Adelaide's resurgence under Malcolm Blight, and in the 1997 AFL Grand Final against St Kilda, he had the honour of kicking the final goal of the match as Adelaide won their first AFL premiership. He was also a member of the Crows team which won the 1998 AFL Grand Final, the Crows becoming the first team since Hawthorn in 1988 and 1989 to win back-to-back premierships.

Statistics

[3]
Legend
 D  Disposals  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  M  Marks  T  Tackles  H/O  Hit-outs  G  Goals  B  Behinds
† Denotes seasons in which Smart won an AFL Premiership
Year Team # Games D K H M T H/O G B D K H M T H/O G B
Totals Averages (per game)
1991 Adelaide 7 20 262 139 123 47 28 0 2 1 13.1 7.0 6.2 2.4 1.4 0.0 0.1 0.1
1992 Adelaide 7 17 240 131 109 35 31 3 0 2 14.1 7.7 6.4 2.1 1.8 0.2 0.0 0.1
1993 Adelaide 7 22 356 220 136 81 38 29 23 17 16.2 10.0 6.2 3.7 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.8
1994 Adelaide 7 17 210 123 87 56 22 10 13 19 12.4 7.2 5.1 3.3 1.3 0.6 0.8 1.1
1995 Adelaide 7 22 341 189 152 59 49 8 14 6 15.5 8.6 6.9 2.7 2.2 0.4 0.6 0.3
1996 Adelaide 7 22 324 208 116 55 57 11 7 8 14.7 9.5 5.3 2.5 2.6 0.5 0.3 0.4
1997† Adelaide 7 22 341 253 88 84 47 6 13 8 15.5 11.5 4.0 3.8 2.1 0.3 0.6 0.4
1998† Adelaide 7 24 426 304 122 88 80 19 13 12 17.8 12.7 5.1 3.7 3.3 0.8 0.5 0.5
1999 Adelaide 7 21 334 217 117 69 30 13 12 10 15.9 10.3 5.6 3.3 1.4 0.6 0.6 0.5
2000 Adelaide 7 18 293 178 115 58 28 5 3 1 16.3 9.9 6.4 3.2 1.6 0.3 0.2 0.1
2001 Adelaide 7 23 356 223 133 78 43 18 7 11 15.5 9.7 5.8 3.4 1.9 0.8 0.3 0.5
2002 Adelaide 7 23 259 150 109 63 44 6 3 3 11.3 6.5 4.7 2.7 1.9 0.3 0.1 0.1
2003 Adelaide 7 21 258 133 125 57 36 1 3 5 12.3 6.3 6.0 2.7 1.7 0.0 0.1 0.2
2004 Adelaide 7 6 56 35 21 14 11 2 3 1 9.3 5.8 3.5 2.3 1.8 0.3 0.5 0.2
Career 278 4056 2503 1553 844 544 131 116 104 14.6 9.0 5.6 3.0 2.0 0.5 0.4 0.4

Post career

After his retirement from football, Smart was an unsuccessful candidate for the Liberal Party for the electoral district of Norwood in the 2006 South Australian state election.[4]

Smart has been a member of the Crows' board since 2005, and assumed the role of Deputy Chairman for the 2009. On 1March 2013, Smart became the Chief Operating Officer of the Adelaide Football Club.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Nigel Smart". Footy Wire. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  2. ↑ Milbank, Zac (24 March 2011). "Smart effort against mighty Dunstall". The Advertiser.
  3. ↑ Nigel Smart's player profile at AFL Tables
  4. ↑ Antony Green (2006-04-26). "Norwood Electorate Profile". 2006 South Australian Election. ABC News Online. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  5. ↑ "AFC Website". New Crows role for Smart.