Knee ends premier Bulldog’s career

THE Western Bulldogs lost a fourth member of their 2016 premiership team yesterday with heart-and-soul player Clay Smith forced to retire with chronic knee problems.

Smith, 25, will be remembered for booting four goals in the first half of the club’s famous preliminaryfinal win against GWS in 2016.

The Bairnsdale boy was grieving the loss of high-school mate Dale Walkinshaw that night and kissed his black armband after slotting the game’s first goal with his unlikely left-foot kicking action.

Smith returned from a third right-knee reconstruction to play the final 13 games of 2016, the most consecutive appearances he made in his seven AFL seasons.

Smith laid 38 tackles in the 2016 finals — including 11 against Sydney in the Grand Final — and was one of many Bulldogs to save their careerbest form for when it mattered most.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to retire at my age, but the right one to make given my knee hasn’t been able to fully recover,” Smith said.

“I’ve given everything to try and make it back this season but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out.”

Coach Luke Beveridge said Smith “inspired” his teammates against the Giants.

“We just kept getting off the mat. We keep getting off the canvas,” Beveridge said from Spotless Stadium that famous night.

“If we get knocked down, we get up — Clay epitomises that. He lost a mate during the week, so he’s had an emotional time.”

Smith told teammates at Whitten Oval yesterday that he was finished after 55 games and would continue at work as an electrician.

Smith was drafted at pick No. 17 in the 2011 draft.

He is the fourth member of the Dogs’ 2016 premiership team to depart. He follows Matthew Boyd (retired), Joel Hamling (Fremantle) and Jake Stringer (Essendon).

Liam Picken (concussion) has not played this season.