Arthur Robert Smith (16 February 1872 – 20 July 1961) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for Collingwood in the years leading up to and following the formation of the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL).

Playing career

Smith, who was recruited from

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

, was Collingwood's main target up forward during his career. Smith made his VFL debut in Collingwood's inaugural VFL game, against

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club ...

in round one, 1897, and went on to top their goal-kicking in each of his first four seasons. Smith's tally of 31 goals in 1898 was enough to win the VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal. Although he wasn't the most prolific forward for Collingwood in 1901, his 30 goals helped his club reach the

1901 VFL Grand Final The 1901 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Lake Oval in Melbourne on 7 September 1901. It was the 4th annual Grand Final of the Victo ...

, where they lost to

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

. His career total of 205 goals was a club record until broken by

Dick Lee Richard Lee Peng Boon (born 24 August 1956) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, playwright and film director. Early life Lee was born to a Peranakan father, Lee Kip Lee, (who wrote for ''The Straits Times'') and his wife , Elizabeth Tan. He was th ...

in 1910.

References

External links

* 1872 births 1961 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Collingwood Football Club players Richmond Football Club (VFA) players VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal winners People from Prahran, Victoria {{AFL-bio-1870s-stub