JAGGA Smith‘s lowest disposal tally this year is 24. He has set arguably the highest floor of any Coates Talent League player en route to captaining the Oakleigh Chargers into a preliminary final.

The midfielder averages 33.9 disposals per game, including a high of 50 against Western Jets in Round 9 among eight seperate efforts of over 30 touches. His consistency across all levels has been breathtaking.

Unlucky not to be named MVP of the title-winning Vic Metro side, he contributed averages of 29.3 disposals and 6.8 clearances in four appearances. What’s more, he won the centre clearance which propelled his side forward for the decisive final play, which ended in a goal after the siren.

For all the numbers thrown up, Smith is more than merely an accumulator. He set out this year not only to be consistent, which he has achieved to no end, but to also establish himself as a damaging ball user.

After all, if you have the ball 30 times a game, you may as well do something with it. And that Smith does, showcasing enormous poise and skill by hand and foot.

Now, he can add a Rookie Me Central Medal to his list of accolades.

Inaugural winner Aaron Cadman went on to be drafted at pick one in 2022, and that’s a distinction Smith is closing in on. No less, alongside good friend and long-time representative teammate Josh Smillie, who he tied with for the medal.

While Smith says being considered top of the crop wasn’t “front of mind”, he knew that bringing his best every week would allow that to take care of itself.

“I’m really honoured to win the medal,” Smith said. “The consistent year, all year, I think that’s what helped me.

“I set out to be consistent throughout the year because all the different levels that I was playing at. That was something that I think was in my control.

“That’s just doing what I do well each week, just keeping it simple. I feel like I’ve achieved that pretty consistently.

“When I’m at my best, I think I’m a damaging player in the competition and up there with some of the best.”

On joint-winner, Smillie, Smith says he believes the midfielder’s size and craft can translate well to the next level. He was also high on returning teammate Finn O’Sullivan after the Chargers’ quarter final win over Northern Knights.

“To have a highly talented player like Finn back in the team, it’s just, he does it all,” Smith said.

“That’s the thing I like about Finn. He attacks, he defends, his aerial is really, really strong. It gives you great confidence when you’re running out with guys like Finn back into the team.”

Now, Smith and the Chargers turn their attention to Sunday’s preliminary final bout against GWV Rebels. The two sides met at RSEA Park – the venue for Sunday’s game – a month ago, where the Rebels saluted by 13 points.

The matchup marks a stunning turnaround in fortunes for both teams, who finished 11th and 13th after the home-and-away rounds. Smith credits his coaches for instilling the “belief” required to advance so far into the season, saying he and the players always had faith.

“It’s always tough with blokes coming in and out,” he said. “I think Oakleigh is the region that has the most players coming in and out.

“But it’s just a credit to the coaching staff staying optimistic all year. Especially Ash Close, our head coach.

“He was optimistic all year that our best footy stacks up against the best teams. It’s just about playing our best footy for as long as we can.”

While laser focussed on the task at hand, Smith also admitted that ‘premiership skipper’ has a good ring to it.

“That’s obviously the thing that I would love most about this year,” he said. “Especially because people wrote us off a little bit throughout the year and we went through some tough patches.

“Premiership skipper sounds really good, but there’s still two more to go.”