By DAVID NAGEL
DELISTED West Coast Eagle Ash Smith is simply looking forward to enjoying his footy again after signing with the Berwick Football Club for 2015.
A Berwick junior from age 12, the 24-year-old midfielder has returned home after six years with the Eagles where he played 45 games before being delisted at the end of the 2014 season.
Smith said he was excited about the move home and the opportunity to play footy again without coping with the relentless pressure associated with being an AFL player.
“I’m pretty excited about going back to Berwick to be honest,” the 36 draft pick in the 2008 National Draft said.
“For me now, after being in the AFL system for quite a few years it’s about fun and just getting back to enjoying my footy again. To play with blokes like Madi Andrews, who I’ve played with in the past, and to play against a few other blokes that I know from around the area is going to be very enjoyable.”
Smith said he had no ambition to get back into the cut and thrust of AFL football and would instead concentrate on helping the Wickers improve on last year’s fourth placing.
“No not really, I just think people don’t understand how much you go through and how demanding it is to be an AFL player these days,” he said.
“I trained with Richmond in the off-season and I could have gone and played at VFL level, but I’ll be 25 by the next draft and there are no guarantees at that age. This wasn’t always in the plan, but in the end it just felt right to come back. Bruce Andrews approached me shortly after I was delisted and it just seemed like the perfect fit.
“Berwick’s a club that has always been around the mark but just can’t quite get across the line. They’re all good guys at the club and at the age where we should really be setting our sights high.”
The former Dandenong Stingray said he was also looking forward to working with senior coach Rhys Nisbet to develop the club’s core group of youngsters.
“I’ve only spoken with Rhys a couple of times but from that I can already tell he’s very keen, very dedicated and very enthusiastic about getting the best out of the group, particularly the younger players,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to that development side of things as well, and teaching the young blokes what’s required and how hard you have to train if you want to get the best out of yourself.
“There are some things you just can’t learn or appreciate until you’ve been at an AFL club and I’m Iooking forward to passing some of those things on to the youngsters.”
Ash’s brother Aaron, who Ash describes as a really talented player who hasn’t played for a while, will also join the club.
