GEELONG coach Chris Scott has praised the work of Gold Coast's coaching staff for the work they've done in developing former ruck prodigy and new Cats recruit Zac Smith.
Smith burst on to the scene in 2011, playing 20 games and earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in his debut season for the Suns, and he followed that up with 16 games the following year to establish himself as one of the best young ruckmen in the league.
A knee reconstruction and a serious ankle injury, however, halted his progress and the big man played just 29 games for Gold Coast over the past three seasons and spent time in the NEAFL playing reserves.
Smith requested a trade to the Cats following the 2015 season, and Scott told Melbourne radio station 3AW that the 25-year-old has been impressive since arriving at the club.
Midfield boost set to push Caddy forward
"We were really keen to boost our depth in there, but we rate Zac (Smith) a lot better than just a depth player," Scott said on 3AW.
"I think the Gold Coast system has been maligned over the last couple of years but we haven't turned Zac around in a couple of months at our footy club.
"Clearly Gold Coast have done some good work with him in the last couple of years because he is going well.
"There are no guarantees for Zac and he knows he's not a walk-up start in our best 22, but the early indications are really positive."
Geelong boasts a host of exciting but injury-prone ruck prospects in Nathan Vardy, Rhys Stanley and Mitch Clark, and Smith will get his first real chance to push for selection in round one during this year's NAB Challenge.
The Cats have a tough schedule with games against Collingwood at home, Essendon in Shepparton in country Victoria and Fremantle in Perth.
Scott revealed he'll be unleashing at least some of his stars on the Pies in their opening clash and that the days of resting experienced players during pre-season games are a thing of the past.
"I think it's getting harder and harder to purely go with the younger players," he said.
"We will manage our squad a little bit but history has shown, at least at our club, that if you take too many liberties through that period and don't get game time into your key players you can run out of time.
"Our philosophy generally is to get some time (for the senior players) in the bank early in the NAB Challenge program and try to look for opportunities for the young players where we can.
"We've got seven new players through the draft but beyond that the rest of our players have played AFL footy so we're not necessarily looking to blood too many."
Geelong starts its 2016 NAB Challenge campaign against the Magpies on Friday February 26 at Simonds Stadium.
