Bernard Keith Smith (19 December 1927 – 21 April 1985) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as t ...

(SANFL) and in 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) during the 1940s and 1950s. Smith made his name as a back pocket player in a successful period for Geelong.

SANFL career

Smith commenced his career with West Adelaide in the SANFL as a 16-year-old on 28 April 1945, playing primarily as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

. He won the

Trabilsie Medal The Neil Kerley Medal (formerly known as the Trabilsie Medal and later the Steve Hamra Medal) is an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) from the West Adelaide Football Club deemed Best & Fairest for the season. West Adelaide p ...

, West Adelaide's best and fairest award, in 1947, the same year that he played in their

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

triumph over Norwood, in which he was widely acknowledged as the best player afield. Also in 1947 Smith represented

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

at the interstate carnival, attracting the attention of the Victorian club, .

VFL career

Smith was recruited to Geelong for the 1948 season and played centreman during his first few years in the (then)

. In 1950, coach Reg Hickey trialled Smith in the back pocket, and he adjusted quickly to the new position.

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

was a year to remember for Smith; he won the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

and club best and fairest, and was among the best on ground in Geelong's 1951 premiership victory. In combination with the dashing Fullback

Bruce Morrison Bruce Andrew Morrison (born October 8, 1944) is a former Congressman from Connecticut and candidate for Governor of Connecticut. He is a lobbyist and immigration lawyer. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and an officer of the National D ...

he created a sturdy defensive wall, and started the forward moves going again with his precision kicking. Under their leadership the Geelong defence was so strong that rival coaches had to turn their minds to finding ways through to goal. "Bernie Smith had a big smile, fair curly hair and looked like a country boy playing a country game of football. It seemed, however, that everywhere that Bernie went the ball was sure to go. "He was immensely popular around the club and his adopted city of Geelong." In 1996 Smith was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.''Herald Sun'', "Bernie Smith", 18 August 2007, p. 90. In 2002 he was one of the 113 inaugural inductees into the

South Australian Football Hall of Fame The South Australian Football Hall of Fame enshrines those who have made a most significant contribution to the game of Australian Football. The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 when 114 outstanding individuals became inaugural inductees. S ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Profile at West Adelaide Hall of FameProfile at South Australian Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bernie 1927 births 1985 deaths Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees All-Australians (1953–1988) West Adelaide Football Club players Geelong Football Club players Geelong Football Club Premiership players Geelong Football Club captains Carji Greeves Medal winners Brownlow Medal winners Australian rules footballers from South Australia South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players