Darren Smith (Australian rules footballer)

Darren Smith
Personal information
Full name	Darren Smith
Date of birth	(1965-02-09) 9 February 1965 (age 56)
Place of birth	Rudall
Height	193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Position(s)	Centre half forward
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1984–1998	Port Adelaide	343 (456)
1991–1992	Adelaide	9 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1996.
Career highlights
South Australian Football Hall of Fame Inductee 2018
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Darren Smith (born 9 February 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Port Adelaide (1984–1990)

Smith arrived in Adelaide from the Eyre Peninsula and after playing under-age football, he broke into the Port Adelaide seniors in 1984. He topped Port's goal-kicking in 1986 and 1987, with 49 and 71 goals respectively, ending the sequence of nine leading goal-kicker awards from Tim Evans. Essendon acquired the centre half forward's services when they picked him up with pick 11 in the 1989 VFL Draft but the move didn't work out and he resumed at Port Adelaide.

Adelaide Crows (1991–1992)

When Adelaide entered the AFL in 1991, Smith was one of their local recruits and he performed well in their inaugural with two goals and ten marks against Hawthorn. Two rounds later he played his best game for Adelaide when he had 24 disposals and kicked four goals and five behinds in a win over Sydney at the SCG, with his fellow Port Adelaide key forward Scott Hodges bagging six of his own.

He soon lost his place in the team and spent most of the remainder of the season playing for Port Adelaide in the SANFL.

Port Adelaide (1993–1998)

After being delisted by the Adelaide Crows, Darren Smith resumed playing for Port Adelaide on a full-time basis. He retired in 1998. Smith had appeared in seven premiership teams with Port Adelaide, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Smith is widely regarded as one of the best team men to play for the Port Adelaide Football Club.

Personal life

Smith's niece, Bella Smith, played junior football for Port Adelaide and has played professionally since 2021, when she was drafted by AFL Women's (AFLW) club Collingwood. ^[1]

Honours

Darren Smith is only one of five players, the others being Russell Ebert, Greg Phillips, Tim Ginever and Kane Cornes, to have played 300 games for the Port Adelaide Football Club.

References

• Darren Smith's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

1. Delaney, Jarrad (8 October 2020). "Verran's Bella Smith drafted to Collingwood AFLW side". Port Lincoln Times .

External links

• Darren Smith at AustralianFootball.com
• Darren Smith at AFLtables.com