‘Best week of my life’: Top draft prospect opens up on draft pressures and his meeting with Crippa

Josh Smillie is the sort of player you’d love to have at your football club.

He’s the prototype of the modern-day midfielder. Think Patrick Cripps, Marcus Bontempelli or Tom Green.

The Eastern Ranges star has the scope to be anything at AFL level and recruiters are going crazy about his power and stoppage craft.

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Smillie explodes out of the contest, is a hard-worker and his precision kicking means he doesn’t waste the footy either.

While he wants to become his own player at AFL level, Smillie models his game on Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and was fortunate enough to spend some time with him during his draft year.

“That big-bodied midfielder, I wish I could be half the player he is right now,” Smillie told foxfooty.com.au.

“He’s someone I’m driven to be able to play like. I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time with him, he’s been a little bit of a mentor throughout the last couple of years just through my management group. I was lucky enough to sit down with him for a couple of hours one night and he gave me a list of advice that’s still in my room today. I look at it all the time, it was awesome,” Smillie said.

“He gave me a lot of advice around wellbeing, whether that was phone away for the last 30 minutes before you go to bed, that sort of stuff. But also reminding yourself about why you play the game, it’s because we love it. Not putting all that pressure on myself and not letting the outside noise describe me as a person. Not worrying about what other people think and keeping it within your small circle.”

The outside noise around Smillie this year as a highly touted prospect has been loud, but that’s what was bound to come after such a superb under-age year.

Smillie says becoming the number 1 pick was something he was “driven towards”, but he’s learned so much this year.

“It’s been a very up and down year. I feel like at the start of the year I was pretty admired to be that number 1 pick,” he said.

“I’m a player that wants to get the best out of myself and be the best player in the competition. Being that number 1 pick, I was very driven towards that.

“It’s had some challenges along the way, and I’ve learned so much from the start of the season to now. Whatever happens draft night happens. Whichever club takes me, I’ll be very grateful for.”

One of those learnings was around post-match etiquette and recovery, but Smillie’s also focussed in on the mental side of the game as well.

He has a large whiteboard at home where he writes down things he can control and things he can’t control. The controllables include his leadership and preparation and the care he shows for those around him. The uncontrollable are things like the draft order or the weather on game day.

“I wake up in the morning and give that a look every day, it gets me ready for my day and relaxes me a bit,” he said.

“At times I have felt a bit stressed this season, but I think that’s a pressure piece as well. I’ve learned so much and I’ve been well educated by the people around me with how I deal with that.”

Smillie is well supported by a small group of close confidants, his parents Bevan and Sam, his managers at TGI Sport Matt Bain and Max Hayes and his coach at the Eastern Ranges Lauren Morecroft.

“That’s all I really need – that small group of people that I can talk to and all I worry about,” he said.

It doesn’t take long to work out that Smillie is a big family man who just wants to make the important people around him proud.

“My parents have been my biggest support; they’d do anything for me. I’ve got a really good relationship with mum, she’s the most caring mother you could ever ask for. She’s very similar to me in the sense that she’s very caring towards others and I can always have a laugh with her and talk to her about anything,” he said.

“Dad’s more that role model and the father figure every boy has always wanted. I can’t thank them both enough, I love them so much.”

Smillie’s pa passed away in the lead up to the under 15 state selection and Smillie was “really determined to make that side for him”.

But he didn’t make the cut, and he had a big decision on his hands.

“I had a decision to make, was footy my option or was there something else I would do. I chose that path to work harder and do it for Pa as well. Not making that team made me the player I am today.”

It’s that player that clubs and recruiters have fallen in love with. Smillie can play any position on the ground, has a good footy IQ and is clean with the ball. And he’s more than ready to embark on his AFL career.

Smillie had a taste of the highest level when he trained with Hawthorn in the pre-season as a part of the AFL Academy, a week which was “unbelievable” and one of his life highlights.

“It was an unbelievable experience… it was probably the best week of my life. I just learned so much in terms of culture and the professionalism of an AFL player,” he said.

“I’ve been best mates with Nick Watson, so he’d drive me to and from training. The midfield boys really took me under my wing when I was at the Hawks. Jai Newcombe, James Worpel and Will Day, those three were unbelievable to me. They would do pre-training stuff with me, teach me a lot of craft about being that big-bodied midfielder. Whether it was game sims or in meetings, they would sit next to me and give me a lot of advice.”

Smillie averaged 18.8 disposals, 10.2 contested possessions, 6.8 score involvements and 5.8 clearances for Vic Metro this season, narrowly missing out on All-Australian selection.

“In the Academy I was training with and playing with all the best players our age in Australia, so that was unreal. Even for Vic Metro, a lot of those boys were in that Academy team, and we’ve gelled really well since 16s and for some of us under 12s. It’s been a really good year playing with a lot of my best mates and playing at the highest level possible.”

Smillie is well-connected in the AFL system and remains in contact with the likes of Essendon’s Nate Caddy, Brisbane’s Logan Morris and Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor. He’s also in touch with Bulldogs defender Nick Coffield who also attended Whitefriars College back in the day.

He grew up idolising former Essendon champion Dyson Heppell for his leadership and long luscious locks but now he’s ready to forge his own pathway in the AFL system.

At the end of the day, Smillie is just a boy who loves playing footy.

“I’ve had a lot of people have their opinions on me, but I just want to be myself. I’m a caring person who is just a boy who loves playing footy,” he said.

The Telstra AFL Draft begins on November 20.