GEELONG has scored another athletic big man in Gold Coast Sun ruckman Zac Smith while club champ Steve Johnston has landed at the GWS Giants.
Smith joined Geelong for a pair of third round draft picks while Johnson will be on a one year contract with a coaching role to follow.
Geelong’s recruitment of Smith follows its recent strategy of adding versatile athletic talls to its roster, with Rhys Stanley and Mitch Clark showing promise last season, added to the return of Nathan Vardy.
“We were looking to add to our ruck depth and we are very happy to have been able to add a player of Zac’s talent and experience to our list,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
“Ruckmen tend to mature later than other types of players, and Zac is coming into a time where he will improve his game with the experience he has gathered.
“He has shown talent and resiliency throughout his career and we see our environment as being conducive to his continued development.”
The 25-year-old Smith kicked 31 goals in 65 games with the Suns and earned an AFL Rising Star nomination in his debut season.
Ruckmen Hamish McIntosh (retired) and Dawson Simpson (GWS Giants) departed Geelong.
Cats forward Josh Walker and midfielder Jarrad Jansen will join the Brisbane Lions for a future third-round draft pick.
Walker kicked 19 goals in 16 matches last season as a foil to power forward Tom Hawkins but his opportunities appeared to be limited by the return of Vardy and Mitch Clark, with Smith also able to play forward.
Jansen did not manage a senior game for the Cats but was runner-up in the VFL best and fairest.
