WHEN Jagga Smith sat down on the balcony overlooking IKON Park after his first win and Telstra AFL Rising Star nomination, his humility is immediately evident.
After being asked what it was like to receive that nomination, he quickly turned his attention to the next game, which was Round 3 against Melbourne.
“Hopefully I get the chance next Sunday to go up against them.”
We reckon you’ll be okay, ‘Jags’.
That sums up Carlton’s newest Rising Star nominee, though. It’s all about doing the work, not getting too ahead of yourself, realising the game can move very quickly.
And move very quickly he did, particularly in the first quarter of his first game on the MCG. Amassing 15 disposals in the first term alone, Smith was as electric as the pre-game commentary suggested he would be, helping to set the game up from a Carlton perspective.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Richmond came back hard, and the emotion on Smith’s face was clear when the final siren went and the Blues were four points in front.
“I was right in the thick of it… I was pretty relieved. The sirens went, I saw ‘Crippa’ celebrating and I gave it a fair bit! The first win feels pretty special,” Smith said.
There’s no denying that this is a new-look Carlton team, with Smith at the forefront of that. He was one of six players in the inner circle celebrating their first Carlton win, and one of eight players with less than 50 games of experience.
As Smith became the Blues’ fourth Rising Star nominee since Round 10 last year, he can’t help but smile at what it means for what’s to come.
“That stat’s amazing. We’ve had four Rising Star nominations in the last year or so, hopefully another one with Harry Dean this year.
“It’s been great running out with some young players, we’re going on this journey together. I think the future’s bright at Carlton, also with Cody hopefully coming to the Club next year as well.
“There’s plenty to look forward to, which is great.”
While plenty was made of Smith’s 2025 season, he’s more than happy to put that behind him and instead focus on what’s to come.
As Michael Voss would put it, out with the old and in with the new.
The new for Smith? Plenty more games in Navy Blue at the MCG… although he concedes he may have let the excitement get the better of him pre-game when saying he had watched “probably about 500” games at the venue where his mum has worked for years.
“It was pretty special. I was looking back at that video, I think I said I’d been to 500 games - I don’t think so, that’s probably a bit much! Maybe 100 or so.
“I spent a lot of time there watching games, to be out there playing on the MCG in front of a packed crowd was an amazing experience.”
