SLOW TO REALISE OBVIOUS TALENT

Clem Smith knows everyone.   Or that is at least the impression you seem to get.   Whether he was “chilling” at the Boarding House at Wesley College, watching mates play a game of footy at Thornlie, getting ready for training in the Change Rooms at Lathlain Park for Perth or attending a formal dinner with the WA State Academy in one of the many function rooms at Subiaco Oval, he simply walks in and his smile attract all to him like the proverbial moths to the flame.   It doesn’t matter if you have known him for five years or five minutes, Clem just seems like your long lost mate and you’d love to have him on your side.   He always has time for you to have a chat or say g’day, regardless if you’re a Year 8 kid or the State Coach.   It is a rare quality that few possess.

Clem’s talent on the football field is obvious and has been known for some time now.   It too is a rare quality that few possess.   His talent has been like a master key.   Doors have been opened because of it and it has allowed Clem access many opportunities of privilege; from education to culture to travel to employment and now to the biggest stage of our national game.   He has travelled across the country and around the world, football has given him enormous exposure to different societies and Clem has walked comfortably amongst them all.   He will be turning 19 this February and he has already compacted a lifetime of adventure into his existence.   From rubbing noses with the Maoris of New Zealand, to being top of the photo pyramid in front of Buckingham Palace, to walking the streets of Milan adding to his fashion sense.   An individual with daring and to his peers, Clem is cool.

When Clem plays there is a murmur around the ground, people know he is one to watch.   The crowd, the opposition, the umpires and his teammates are aware that he is in the team.   He will have an impact on the game and he rarely fails to deliver.   Clem allows his teammates walk taller and causes opposition think twice.   Perhaps this talent and the expectations associated with it, have weighed him down over the last 12 months.   Touted as a top ten Draft pick this time last year, Clem tumbled down the 2014 Draft until Pick 60 eventually brought more relief rather than celebration.   The whisper from the recruiters and scouts was that he has a question mark over his endurance and his training.   Fairly average results in Beep Tests and 3km Time Trials suggest this may have some truth to it.   The reason is simple to me.   Clem has never done a full preseason.   His talent has seen him switch and swap between programs, all with different training intensities and aims over the last three to four years.   Between Wesley, Perth, the WA 18s and the AFL AIS programs, he has served many masters and been accountable to none.   And by that I mean he has been uncoordinated and lacked direction and consistency required to achieve the goals of an elite conditioning program.   Purely his talent has got him to perform.   Running against the clock is one thing.   Running your guts out in a game with the pressures of opposition and expectation is another.   Look past the athletic testing and to matches that count, the GPS readings are off the chart for Clem.   Metres per second and metres per minute are elite and add his hard attack on the ball, the recruiters perhaps have overlooked that Clem is a footballer who runs and not a runner who plays football.   Carlton may have struck gold at the bottom of the Draft.

His record is impressive and speaks for itself.   AFL AIS Scholar 2012, 2013, 2014, Jim Stynes Scholarship 2013-2014, 2013 Best in Carnival WA 18s, WA State 18s Representative 2013 & 2014, WA State 16s Representative 2012, School Sport WA 15s Representative 2011, Wesley College 2011-2013, WAFL League Debut Perth Football Club Rd01 2014, 19 games with Perth Football Club including 10 at League Level and first in the 2014 Draft Combine AFL Agility Test with 8.09seconds.   Could Perth Demons Legend, Robert Wiley, have had an influence in the selection of Smith by Carlton?   Wiley is a Development Coach with the Blues under Mick Malthouse and being Clem’s WA 16s Coach back in 2012, he would have know his true worth and followed the form of this young gun from his old club’s with more than a passing interest.

Clem has, for the very first time, the chance to get a full and uninterrupted preseason under his belt.   He will be in a structured and supportive environment of an AFL Club and will be guided by a trusted and positive influence in Wiley.   He will have his challenges, missing his family will be natural, but he is extremely well placed to have his talent realised and fulfilled at the next level.   His first three League games for Perth against men were outstanding by a Colts aged player, before being interrupted by leaving on an AFL AIS Tour.   I have no doubts he can perform at Carlton and being fully immersed in the AFL culture will see him flourish.   And it won’t be long before he knows everyone at the Blues.   I will look forward to the 2015 Season with even greater anticipation than normal as Clem has the possibility of being released to debut.   I may be getting caught up in the excitement, but that is exactly how he plays, it is infectious to all and certainly anything is possible.   You can’t underestimate Clem Smith in a game of footy; do so at your peril.   He will be cultivated in the AFL life and, I believe, will prosper because of it.   Only then will the lower end Pick 60 reflect that some were slow to realise obvious talent.