Banned Melbourne Demon Joel Smith wants to shoot AFL Redemption

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“If I can come and potentially give a team something that is chasing a flag, as it would be fantastic. Four years, I feel like it is very much of it. But it is just about staying healthy and keeping the body ticked. Because if he does, you never say, as if it happened, it would be fantastic, but there would always be a local foot, now that it works under construction ..

Smith, the father of two young children, had played 42 games before his ban. He knew as soon as he was randomly tested he was in trouble.

“They are random tests. Obviously, when you get the tap on the shoulder … it was a deflating sensation because they are like:” Ah f —, I think I am in trouble here “. Then you receive the call from the club saying:” You have to enter, something happened. “I went inside and they gave me with the day-era test a shocking feeling,” Smith said.

“Then you are involved with the lawyers. You really don’t understand how much the lawyers cost until you are dealing with them. The first three months were horrible. I thought I would return to play in three months, which is the thing that sucks. If you don’t do it on the day of the game.

“I was training my ass for those three months because I had to train alone. I was the guy, I would be back, speaking with the lawyers … to receive the call … to say that they will give you four years, just shocked.”

Three of the five violations of Smith of the FL policy were for traffic or attempted cocaine traffic and/or between 12 April 2020 and 7 September 2020; July 28 and 30 July 2022 and 5 September and 10 September 2022.

As reported by this Masthead, the text messages from Smith to other players were part of Sport Integrity Australia and the FL probe in the use of 191-centimeter. There were fears that other players could face consequences to be connected to Smith, but the investigation had no sufficient evidence to pursue them.

However, Smith denied being a trafficker.

“According to the rules of this sport, technically it is, but I only feel like calling me trafficker is quite hard. It’s something that I’m certainly not,” he said.

Smith said he decided not to fight sentences, in part to help protect his young family.

“I don’t really mind myself, really,” Smith said. “I like, at the end of the day, nobody forces you to do it, make your decisions. It’s all my fault, really, in the end. My mistake, I just have to possess it, and that’s exactly what it is,” he said.

“It doesn’t make sense to point your fingers on other people, why will it make you do you? You just have to be a man, and that’s what it is.”

“I won’t make this mistake anymore, I can say it for sure.”

Smith, whose sister Amy in an AFLW player, said she was still in contact with her former teammates, but could not discuss football issues.

“We had a small close group there. The players who are still playing, players who have left the club. We still continue in good contact,” said Smith.

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