Primus, who never shied from a contest in his 157-game career, has refined the technique of Smith since joining the club in September.
Smith was a sensation in Gold Coast's debut 2011 season, but as opponents worked him out last year, the self-confessed passive giant went back into his shell.
Now with a contract extension that sees the original Sun at the club until at least the end of 2014, Smith said the introduction of Primus would correct his course.
"As a player he (Primus) was pretty aggressive, jumped at the contest hard, so he's taught me technique to do that and how to tackle those contests," Smith said.
"I think it's always something that's going to be evolving and something I'm always going to have to work on.
"Naturally I'm not that way (aggressive), but it's something I have to work on. As soon as I cross that white line, [I need to] switch on that aggression.
For the first time since Gold Coast entered the AFL, Smith has serious competition for a place in the side, with the improving Charlie Dixon and a fit-again Dan Gorringe pushing for places.
But that doesn't faze the 205cm ruckman.
"It's healthy, you want that competitiveness out on the track. It's good to have two, but to have three and four ruckmen out there is even better," Smith said.
"To be on the Gold Coast five years now it's gone pretty quick. I've loved every minute of it. I love this club and hopefully I'll be here the rest of my career."
The Suns also tied up Trent McKenzie, Seb Tape, Jackson Allen and Clay Cameron to contract extensions, and football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft said more re-signings were in the pipeline.
Dion Prestia, Daniel Gorringe, Rory Thompson and Matt Shaw are among those who are likely to soon be locked away.
"We're in discussions with their managers. We're very confident we'll get to a resolution very quick," Ashcroft said.
"We'd love to have an answer on all those guys before the start of the year so they can concentrate on their footy."
Zac Smith is a ruckman in NAB AFL Fantasy. He averaged 58 points in 2012. Register your team at our AFL Fantasy Hub.
Michael Whiting covers Gold Coast news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
