UP THE RANKS ft. Jagga Smith
STATS: 32 disposals, 13 kicks, 19 handballs, 3 tackles, 9 clearances,5 inside 50s, 5 score
involvements, 5 intercept possessions.
It’s undeniable that Jagga is a top-five prospect, and the climb up the ranks was enhanced in
his first game of the National Championships with every leather poisoning cliché attached to
his name.
View more Jagga Smith content HERE!
Jagga’s ability to create pockets of space from the centre stoppages was crafty and more often
than not he was able to dish off quick handballs to generate some forward momentum in quite
slow and sloppy wet conditions.
His work rate from contest to contest was impactful and whether he was to get first hands to
it or not, his ability to equalise numbers in loose ball scenarios was critical to stop any quick
transition the Allies way.
One criticism of his game is that he’s not ultra-attacking with ball in hand, which can be
excused given the talent surrounding him that typically does that job for him. His game is
effective without being ultra-attacking with his penetrating kicks down the line, out of the
stoppage, that allows him to work higher up the ground and find himself prepared for a loose
ball scrimmage.
Jagga was an elusive target to stop when he drifted inside 50, and whilst he could have had
his moments to take a snap at goal in the second half, he unselfishly found a teammate in a
better spot.
