Football grand finals never fail to throw up stories of heroism and bravery but few will match that of Roarke Smith when the Western Bulldogs take on the Melbourne Demons in the AFL premiership decider on Saturday.
The unassuming 25-year-old from Sunbury, Victoria, will take his place on the wing for the Bulldogs after a horror few years in which his football career was almost came to a premature end more than once.
'Not in a million years would I think I would be playing in a grand final,' Smith told The Age this week.
Since his debut in the AFL in 2015, Smith has battled two knee reconstructions, two delistings, seven one-year rookie contracts, being in and out of the team and, just three years ago, a car crash which left him in hospital.
Tough run: Roarke Smith will be playing his very first grand final on Saturday when the Western Bulldogs take on the Melbourne Demons at Optus Stadium on Saturday, but it hasn't been smooth sailing for the 25-year-old midfielder
He was nicknamed 'Sunshine' when he made his senior debut with the Calder Cannons as a 17-year-old in the Victorian under-18s competition in 2013, his former coach Andrew Jago told afl.com.au.
'[The name was from] the character in the movie Remember the Titans,' Jago said.
'The quarterback who initially comes in with flowing, long blonde hair, which Roarke had, [and] a smile on his face constantly, which Roarke had.
'He probably thought of himself more of a surfer or skater which probably added to that. And he took a little while to convince himself he belonged in the Cannons side, he's just so unassuming.'
Picked up by the Western Bulldogs in the 2014 rookie draft, Smith's run of bad luck began just one week after he made his first top-level appearance in round 21, 2015, against the West Coast Eagles.
Playing in the VFL the next week, he ruptured his ACL and did not make his second AFL appearance again until the round 22 clash against Essendon in 2016.
Smith experienced more pain when he was dropped back from the AFL as the Western Bulldogs broke a 62-year drought to win the 2016 flag.
He continued playing in the club's VFL side before he ruptured his ACL again in early 2017 and was later delisted at the end of the season after serving the maximum three years on the rookie list.
