Sydney Swans defender Nick Smith addressed the media ahead of training at the SCG on Thursday.
The 29-year-old will play his 200th AFL game in Sydney’s clash with Fremantle at the SCG on Saturday.
Here are some key quotes from the press conference.
Thoughts on the milestone
“It’s a pretty good achievement I guess. It’s not something you think about too much but when you do look back on 200 games it’s a lot of footy.”
Friends and family at the game
“I’ve got some friends and family coming up from Melbourne to enjoy the occasion with me. They’ve been part of it the whole way through so it’s really good for them to be here and hopefully enjoy a win for the team and myself.”
Why so many Rookie-listed Swans have found success
“I think partially because of the people who are already here. I know when I got to the Club there were already so many good people: Goodesy, Craig Bolton, Jude Bolton, Crouchy, Tadhg Kennelly, Micky O’Loughlin. I probably shouldn’t start naming names because there’s so many good people who taught me how to go about it. I feel really fortunate and hopefully we’re doing that for the guys coming through now like the new Rookies.”
Smith’s journey with fellow defender Heath Grundy
“It’s been a great journey to share together. We were groomsmen at each other’s weddings and we’ve formed a really strong bond and played a lot of footy together. It’s been a really enjoyable journey together and I think he racks up 250 games soon.”
The message the success of Rookie-listed Swans sends
“I think it sends the message that it doesn’t really matter. As long as you get on a list at a footy club you’ve just got to make the most of it.”
Thoughts on Fremantle
“They’ve been really impressive this year. They will probably get a few back this too. So we will have our work cut out.”
The toughest forward he has played on
“As much as I hate to say it now that he’s here, Stevie Johnson was pretty tough, especially when Geelong was doing well. Eddie Betts from Carlton to Adelaide – he was a really good player then but everyone’s seen him even improve his game at Adelaide. Obviously Cyril Rioli is a super player. They’d be a few of the best.”
The Swans’ patchy 2018 SCG form
“We’ve been one week on, one week off and we don’t want to be a team that does that. It’s great to win away and we’ve had some good away wins, but we want to win as many home games as well. We want to get into a more consistent batch of footy going forward.”
Alastair Clarkson’s comments on the Swans’ ‘blocking’ tactics
“He’s got his opinions and we play within the rules and umpires have seen it that way for a long time as well.”
The tight-knit Swans backline
“Having stability there and getting used to playing with the same guys week in and week out. It is a team within a team and we want to help each other out as much as we can. The familiarity of playing with each other is really beneficial.”
The key to Smith’s consistency
“Training hard, not getting ahead of where I’m at, always trying to improve – I think they’re probably the things that have held me in good stead."
How he’s dealt with the weekly grind of AFL football
“Like anyone who’s played 200 games there’s a bit of luck but you’ve got look after yourself as well. Once the season gets going it’s a cycle every week. You play a game, you’re pretty sore, you look after yourself and then get your mind ready to attack the next week. I haven’t done anything extraordinary – it’s just the way I’ve gone about it.”
A time to reflect?
“I’ve got my sights set on this week. It’s a good time to briefly look back and reflect on how many games I’ve played and there have been some barriers on the way and it is great to get there. But we’ll just be looking to get the win this week.”
