Essendon midfielder David Zaharakis has admitted his surprise at how good Devon Smith has been this season.
Smith joined the Bombers from Greater Western Sydney last offseason, and has made his presence known, leading the AFL in tackles and pressure points.
Zaharakis believes those numbers underline Smith’s ability to impact the contest in a defensive manner, something that’s becoming contagious amongst his teammates.
“Dev’s great for us, he sets the tone defensively,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“We always knew watching from afar that he was a competitive player and had that sort of great attitude you want in a player.
“I didn’t know he was this good defensively, I think he leads the AFL in pressure acts and tackles.
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“He sets the tone for us as a footy side and he doesn’t shy away from telling blokes to get in there and do it themselves.
“He also backs it up every week. He was been outstanding for us.”
Along with his defensive proficiency, Smith is also averaging 20.3 disposals, the second-best rate in his career.
Listen to David Zaharakis' chat with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on SEN Breakfast in the player below