TEENAGE South Adelaide talent Emily Smith is ready to take the next step of her career and crack into the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s senior side. Having travelled through the South Australian pathways over the past five years to represent her state and earn a State Under 18s Academy spot for next year, Smith is one who is eyeing off more responsibility in 2022.

“I started maybe four or five years ago, just locally and then made South the first year in the Under 16s,” Smith said. “Then went back and did local, then did State for a couple of years which went into South, and then State again, and then now into the women’s league.”

Smith is one of a number of Port Adelaide Next-Generation Academy (NGA) members in South Australia. She praised the club saying the Power had helped develop her and that she had “learnt a lot” from that experience over the past few years. She is not entirely sure what her role within the senior team may be in the next year, but she wants to be a part of it and contributing to the Panthers’ success.

In terms of her individual ability, Smith said her footy IQ was a strength, whilst she hoped to improve her endurance for the future.

“I think read the play really well,” she said. “I want to describe myself as a smart player. “Then marking as well, and positioning, finding good positioning.

“Probably my fitness a bit more (is an improvement),” she said. “Probably lacking in that department, and probably a bit more confidence as well.”

Unfortunately for Smith, a knee injury last season put a line through her 2021 chances of making the senior team, but admits she is “all good to go now”. She hopes she can be a part of the Panthers’ new generation, which she said is coming through, with connections between the older players, and young players, crucial to the club taking the next step. Now Smith is hoping that her work whilst in rehab last year has set the tone for her 2022 season, setting an early goal for herself.

“Starting in one of the women’s games,” she said of her main goal for 2022. “Last year I was injured for the majority of the year so I didn’t get to play, so just making that side would be good, and just working on my fitness as well.”

South Adelaide kicks off its 2022 SANFL Women’s campaign at X Convenience Oval against Central District, with the Development League up first, followed by the seniors.