What Will He Bring: Lachlan Smith
Night two of the AFL National saw the Western Bulldogs plug a few more gaps in their list. After ticking a few boxes in bringing in a midfielder and a key position player on the opening night, the Bulldogs added to their stocks with a crafty wingman, before setting their eyes on a developing ruckman with pick 47 in the shape of Lachlan Smith.
The developing ruckman will join his Vic Country teammate Joel Freijah; who was drafted two selections earlier, at the kennel and will don the number 40, which was made previously worn by livewire mid-forward and 2016 premiership Luke Dahlhaus before he moved to the number six.
THE PLAYER:
Lachlan Smith
Height: 202cm
Weight: 101kg
Position: Ruckman
Club: Gippsland Power/Vic Country
WHAT THEY SAID:
“Left-footed ruckman who uses his impressive frame to compete ferociously at stoppages and can win his own ball. Was a strong contributor all year for the Gippsland Power in the Coates Talent League averaging 16.8 disposals, 3.7 marks and 19.4 hitouts.
"Was particularly impressive for Victoria Country in its win over Western Australia at the National Championships.” – AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan.
“In terms of Lachie – what we’re bringing in there is a real competitor. With Jordon Sweet leaving, we really wanted to bring in another young ruckman to help develop under Tim English.
"Given Lachie’s basketball background, he hasn’t played a lot of footy growing up but we’re really confident in a full-time program – with the rate of improvement he showed late in the year – he’s only going to blossom.
“He’s certainly going to compete straight away at VFL level and be aggressive, which is what we want in a ruckman.” – Western Bulldogs National Recruiting Manager Dom Milesi.
2023 SEASON:
A raw prospect, and dare I say it; someone with a basketball background, Smith showed plenty of potential in 2023 for the Gippsland Power in the Coates Talent League, playing 12 games, kicking seven goals (including three against the GWV Rebels) and was named in the bests on five occasions.
It was a fair improvement from his previous season with Gipplsland as his productivity saw him effectively double and even triple some of his statistics in the Coates Talent League this year, namely disposals ( 7 vs 16.8), marks (1.7 vs 3.7), hitouts (6.6 vs 19.4) and tackles (1.8 vs 3.2).
Smith didn't win a great deal of the ball for Vic Country in the National Championships as he averaged eight disposals but he did average 2.7 clearances to go with his 18.7 hitouts and 3.3 tackles which is quite respectable for a big-bodied ruck who is still in the infancy of his football career.
Smith unfortunately wasn't able to test at the state Draft Combine due to injury but a day earlier at the Coates Talent League testing day, he recorded an impressive 3.13 seconds on the 20m sprint highlighting his mobility for a ruckman.
WHAT WILL HE BRING:
Ready-made and raring to go if called upon, Smith will likely see a large chunk of 2024 in the VFL with Footscray but it wouldn't surprise the team at The Salty Bulldog if he can make an impression next year as Smith possesses some athletic traits that fit the mold of the modern ruckman even if he is relatively a like-for-like swap for Jordan Sweet.
Smith has the potential to be a Toby Nankervis type who not only can win his own ball and display aggression and strength at the contest, but is also someone who can move up and down the ground and assist with winning the ball back under a high ball. Smith is also confident with ball in hand, showing he isn't your typical ruckman.
Similar to Sweet in the sense that he isn't afraid to throw his weight around and stand up for his teammates. As well as keenness for body contact, Smith has a strong burst of power from the contest which in this age of football has become more important than ever as teams look to defend the space outside the contest within an inch of their lives.
Smith will add plenty of strength to the playing group and has a rather high ceiling if his athletic traits come to the fore.