Jagga Smith sharpened his claim for the Telstra Rising Star award on Friday night, forcing Geelong to adjust its usual tagging plan as Carlton beat the Cats in round 12. Smith had 18 disposals by half-time, finished with 27, and kept driving the Blues through the middle as the match swung their way.
The numbers were the sort that grab attention in an afl today conversation about the league's best young players. Smith ended with six clearances, six inside-50s and a goal assist for Brodie Kemp in the final term, giving Carlton another midfielder whose impact was felt in every quarter rather than in bursts.
Geelong had spent the past month using Oisin Mullin in shutdown roles on Nick Daicos and Lachie Neale, but that plan changed at half-time once Smith's influence became hard to ignore. Mullin was moved onto Smith after the break, a move that spoke to how much Carlton's young on-baller had already taken control of the contest.
That matters because Smith's form has not been confined to one night. He had 23 score involvements across the previous two weeks before the Geelong game, and Friday's performance came with the kind of balance selectors usually reward: clean ball use, repeated entries and enough defensive pressure to stay in the play when the ball turned over.
The Rising Star race still has games to go, and Carlton's round 12 win will not settle it on its own. But Smith has given himself a case that looks stronger by the week, and if he keeps affecting games the way he did against Geelong, the conversation around the award will only get harder to avoid.
