It was the moment when Isaac Smith wondered what could be.
Was it time to pull up stumps on what’s been an incredible career across two clubs, culminating in 277 games and, of course, four premierships?
Oh, and a Norm Smith Medal.
For the Geelong faithful, it was perhaps significant that it was before a game against the Swans, a team against whom Smith submitted the one game that would make him a Geelong hero, forevermore, that it hit him.
The Geelong team bus was winding through the busy streets of Paddington ahead of the Round 16 clash with the Swans, a suburb that on a Friday night, is full of happy, smiling faces, ready to shake off the work week in its plethora of restaurants and bars.
As the bus made its way up Jersey Road en route to the SCG, Smith’s eyes locked on the art deco stylings of the Light Brigade Hotel, or at least what was happening inside it, and had a moment to himself.
“We were driving to a game in Sydney and there's a pub in Paddington called The Light Brigade, but the team bus was driving passed it and I saw a few people in there having fun and thought, 'in a few months time, I wouldn't mind doing that myself', so that was probably a bit of a moment.”
Smith told the story during a press conference alongside Geelong coach Chris Scott and was quick to add a bit of context to his yarn, mindful there is still potentially, quite a few games yet before he can raise his first glass.
“I'm not sure if I should share this, because we still have a couple of games left, and I'm so excited, I cannot wait to play the last few games,” he laughed.
But he needn’t have worried. Anyone who’s watched Isaac Smith play football, the thing that strikes you other than his awesome running power and the rangy left boot is the smile.
Always smiling.
It’s his superpower and the one thing that Scott says he picked up early when he first crossed paths with Cootamundra’s finest export back in 2010, when Scott was only a few weeks into his job as Geelong coach.
Scott picks up the story from there.
“One of the first things that I did on official duties with Stephen Wells was to take the drive up to Ballarat to see Isaac, and Isaac answered the door," he recalled.
“In bare feet. He knew we were coming, but still in bare feet and that was symbolic of the approach that Isaac has taken to his footy."
And it was that approach that proved so fruitful when Smith finally landed at the Cattery all of those years later.
“It was very painful to watch him play over the next ten years knowing we'd just missed out on bringing him to the Cats but it was just so nice to get him back," Scott continued.
“We've evolved over the years but there was an acceleration of that evolution when Isaac came because he was able to embody to our players, and in particular to our young players, is that you can highly successful, highly competitive, and ruthless on the field but also be a relaxed, authentic person off the field and he's never lost that.”
On Monday afternoon, Smith went and saw Geelong CEO Steve Hocking and List Manager Andrew Mackie to let them in on his plans before the 34-year-old made his way to Scott’s office and closed the door.
“I think he was a little bit shocked, which has been a little bit of the reaction, but it was quite nice to get that reaction rather than, 'It's about time mate, we've been trying to figure out how to get you out', he laughed.
Always laughing.
“But it was nice, we shared a nice moment. It's something I'll treasure.”
It was no secret that Smith could have gone on, but as he made mentioned multiple times through the press conference, leaving at the right time was important to him.
That, paired with the lure of family, the promise of what’s next, and yes, perhaps a guilt-free pint on a Friday night was enough to make the ultimate call.
Smith walks away undeniably a Hawthorn legend, but somehow, in the way only Isaac Smith could, he’s etched his name into the folklore at the Geelong footy club too, the Hawks' biggest, fiercest rivals, and loved every minute of it.
And so did we.
Go well, Issie. Thanks for everything.
