 He won the Trabilsie Medal, West Adelaide's best and fairest award, in 1947, the same year that he played in their Grand Final triumph over Norwood, in which he was widely acknowledged as the best player afield.Also in 1947 Smith represented South Australia at the interstate carnival, attracting the attention of the Victorian club, .Smith was recruited to Geelong for the 1948 season and played centreman during his first few years in the (then) Victorian Football League.