Why did Joel Smith leave?

[plugger66]

It was also reported at the time that no one from St kilda visited him in hospital and he felt not wanted, not one official or team mate!

Cant be true, last I heard he's still very good mates with Everitt and Lappin.

Of course it isnt true. At the time he was living with Max, Jones and Brown. Id be pretty sure they went and visited him.

I heard they left a massive stack of dishes for him the clean.

I actually went to their house once after a game in 1997 and the house was a disgrace so that could be true. Who will ever forget the interview Channel 7 did the morning of the GF game at their house. Could you imagine a club agreeing to that now.

Smithy wants his Superjesus tour t-shirt back too...he knows you borrowed it.

He must have changed his mind because he said I could keep it.

[SENsei]

This is a complete rumour - but I heard at the time that St Kilda also had concerns with his mental state. Hope this was not true for his and the clubs sake.

Wasn't the club worried about the party boys...isn't that why Lappin was traded a couple of years later?

[degruch]

This is a complete rumour - but I heard at the time that St Kilda also had concerns with his mental state. Hope this was not true for his and the clubs sake.

Wasn't the club worried about the party boys...isn't that why Lappin was traded a couple of years later?

That's why we de-listed this guy.

[Junction Oval]

X did his knee again last week in Brisbane - 2nd game back I think.

Looks like it's curtains for him - a great bloke.

[Eastern]

It was also reported at the time that no one from St kilda visited him in hospital and he felt not wanted, not one official or team mate!

Cant be true, last I heard he's still very good mates with Everitt and Lappin.

Of course it isnt true. At the time he was living with Max, Jones and Brown. Id be pretty sure they went and visited him.

Max, Aussie, Browny & Joel living together Reminds me of a story about a Commodore, A storm water drain, a 4WD, a matress and 4 young footballers !!

[IluvHarvey]

It was also reported at the time that no one from St kilda visited him in hospital and he felt not wanted, not one official or team mate!

Cant be true, last I heard he's still very good mates with Everitt and Lappin.

Of course it isnt true. At the time he was living with Max, Jones and Brown. Id be pretty sure they went and visited him.

Max, Aussie, Browny & Joel living together Reminds me of a story about a Commodore, A storm water drain, a 4WD, a matress and 4 young footballers !!

Reminds me of the Young Ones

[defacto]

X did his knee again last week in Brisbane - 2nd game back I think.

Looks like it's curtains for him - a great bloke.

really? this says otherwise:

http://www.lions.com.au/news/newsarticl ... fault.aspx

[Bernard Shakey]

Joel was always money hungry right from the age of 15. He played for the highest bidder in the Ovens Murray League before we picked him up.

Saints offered him $200,000 for one year. Not bad for a bloke having a knee reco in those days. Hawks offered $400,000 for two years. He took the money.

[skeptic]

Also have to remember that the Saints finished in the GF with a team full of midfield stars in Harvey, Burke, Winmar, Jones, Brown, Lappin etc etc

would have been hard pressed to get back into that midfield... Hawthorn were struggling at the time

[St Ick]

Why was it that we got rid of Stinky Lappin again, attitude?

[dragit]

What happened to Brown? He was a good player that seemed to just disappear...

[iremember66]

Why was it that we got rid of Stinky Lappin again, attitude?

Don't know the official reason Matty Lappin went - but I'll never forgive him for the rabbit ears he pulled in the photo after the GF loss - looked like he didn't care - while I was gutted. Totally lost me after that - wasn't sorry to see him go...

[Sainternist]

I heard Stan Alves let him go because he caught Joel with his nose of in a jar of FIGJAM.

Either way, it was a sickening knee injury. Damn Richard Osborne! I really liked the Smith and Jones combination. With Everitt and Smith in that '97 GF we may have beaten the Crows. I guess that's all ancient history now.

[mr six o'clock]

whilst we let smith go , it wasn't until 3 years after the injury that he became a good regular contributer to the hawks

[St Lenny]

Joel was always money hungry right from the age of 15. He played for the highest bidder in the Ovens Murray League before we picked him up.

Saints offered him $200,000 for one year. Not bad for a bloke having a knee reco in those days. Hawks offered $400,000 for two years. He took the money.

You are right there, his father was his manager and made the decisions. However, he was never as good at Hawthorn as he was for us. A really sad loss.

As for Lappin, he was a party boy, couldn't stick to team rules and therefore got the boot. And Tony Brown, gosh who knows what happened? The opposition worked him out I guess.

[Furphy]

I remember being at the Collingwood game back in '97 when Smith broke his leg. I also believe he lived with Aussie Jones for a while and they were nick-named "Alias Smith & Jones"

[Animal Enclosure]

Joel was always money hungry right from the age of 15. He played for the highest bidder in the Ovens Murray League before we picked him up.

Saints offered him $200,000 for one year. Not bad for a bloke having a knee reco in those days. Hawks offered $400,000 for two years. He took the money.

Spot on Bernie

Hawks had a few big names on big $$$ retire the year before & took a risk on a highly talented kid coming off a 'car crash' of a knee injury.

Losing Joel & Jamie Shanahan, as well as having Jeff White stolen off us by a Melbourne club that was over the salary cap hurt deeply.

[stairwaytoheaven]

Joel Smith is now playing for Yarrawonga in the Ovens and Murray League.
His departure from the Saints was all about money, we were not prepared to give as much as much as Hawthorn bacause of the wretched knee injury he had, of course most of us know this.

[joffaboy]

Alves made an extraordinary attack on Smith when he left saying he would never be welcomed back at the club and that he had shat on his mates.

I thought it was very rough by Stan.

[bigred]

Alves would be the first to say that he lost the plot after 1997.

Smith was never the same player IMO. He was good, but sheesh he could have been better.

[older saint]

Money money money

Again like some here rumour has it senior players spoke to him about staying and a comment along the lines of " i am out to get as much as i can "
Neither side saw him win a premiership

[stinger]

Also have to remember that the Saints finished in the GF with a team full of midfield stars in Harvey, Burke, Winmar, Jones, Brown, Lappin etc etc

would have been hard pressed to get back into that midfield... Hawthorn were struggling at the time

he won a best and fairest at hawthorn....and is still playing good footy today at 33 years of age....

[stinger]

Alves would be the first to say that he lost the plot after 1997.

Smith was never the same player IMO. He was good, but sheesh he could have been better.

as i said...won a b & f with the hawks....but the leg injury did slow him down.....the sad part was that he was the only real compensation we got for losing plugger....

[Bernard Shakey]

Alves would be the first to say that he lost the plot after 1997.

Smith was never the same player IMO. He was good, but sheesh he could have been better.

as i said...won a b & f with the hawks....but the leg injury did slow him down.....the sad part was that he was the only real compensation we got for losing plugger....

When did we lose plugger? I'm sure he's posted today.

[stinger]

Alves would be the first to say that he lost the plot after 1997.

Smith was never the same player IMO. He was good, but sheesh he could have been better.

as i said...won a b & f with the hawks....but the leg injury did slow him down.....the sad part was that he was the only real compensation we got for losing plugger....

When did we lose plugger? I'm sure he's posted today.

we can only hope....