A readymade ruck who has added 19kg to his frame since measured at the start of the year, Smith has lead Eastern’s ruck division this year and provided first use to his midfielders more often than not. There is no doubting his athletic flaws, but Smith is a player who will outbody opponents around the stoppages and look to take advantage of his strength through contested marking. An overage prospect in the NAB League this year, Smith was too big and strong for many of his opponents, and he has enough smarts to position himself well in ruck contests, particularly around the ground. His hands were clean with 81.5 per cent of his handballs finding a free teammate. Coupled with his desire to crash packs or win the contested ball, Smith has that crash-and-bash style of ruck craft around the ground.

STRENGTHS: Physicality, ruck work, clean hands, stoppage positioning
IMPROVEMENTS: Athleticism, marking

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DRAFT CENTRAL'S INTERVIEW WITH RILEY SMITH AT THE 2019 ROOKIE ME DRAFT COMBINE:

[audio mp3="https://cdn.draftcentral.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Riley-Smith-Eastern-Ranges.mp3"][/audio]