Jesse Smith Biography

Off-season Saints recruit Jesse Smith's career is in jeopardy after being placed on the long-term injury list due to persistent ankle problems in his first year at St Kilda.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says if Jesse Smith changes the way he runs he can avoid further hamstring ad ankle troubles.

"We know it is about a range of movement and our people are confident they can expand his range of movement," Lyon said.

St Kilda believes it has all the resources needed to manage former Kangaroo Jesse Smith's chronic injuries after picking him up in the 2009 national draft.

"We've got really strong support from our medical team that they think they can get Jesse up," St Kilda's general manager football and list management Matthew Drain said.

"We think our medical team from the past two years has been really strong with our injury rate so that's a challenge for them. If we can get him up, he's a top 10 pick."

Former Kangaroo Jesse Smith says St Kilda's track record with managing injuries will revive his AFL career.

"I'm very confident the Saints can help with my problems," he said.

"They have had a decrease in a lot of their injuries over the last couple of years since David Misson has got there.

"It's good to go to a new club with a clean sheet and some new ideas. I'm really excited. I can't wait to get down there and see what plans they have for me, because I really want to get into it and try to get my body nice and strong again."

Former North Melbourne defender Jesse Smith has started training with Hawthorn ahead of this month's NAB AFL Draft.

"The Hawks are pleased to provide Jesse with an opportunity to train ahead of the 2009 AFL national draft," general manager player personnel and strategy Chris Pelchen said.

"We appreciate that he has been restricted by injury over the past season and will undertake a modified training program accordingly."

Jesse Smith says he left North Melbourne out of desperation after struggling with injuries despite his love for the club.

"I've had six hamstring injuries in the past two years, the club has done everything it possibly can and put me through every available program under the sun to try to get it right, but it is just not working out," Smith told the Herald Sun.

"I love the club. I grew up with it with dad playing there and I will always love it and want the best for it, but it is time for me to go because I am at a critical stage.

Smith believes he has a better chance of recovering and playing AFL football again if given the opportunity at another club.

"The situation I am in is pretty dire. I know I have one last shot at it. If it doesn't work I know I will have exhausted all options," he said.

"I have gone and looked at other clubs, and they are pouring money into their medical, and strength and conditioning departments."

North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald says the club had no choice but to let the talented Jesse Smith go without compensation.

"It is just an unfortunate situation that occurs from time to time in this industry. It is disappointing for everyone, but it's something that occurs across the entire competition," McDonald said.

"Our medical and conditioning team has explored every available option to aid his recovery and we have worked closely with Jesse's parents and manager to find a way forward.

"Brad made sure Jesse was aware of the club's commitment to restructure our medical and strength and conditioning departments. Jesse declined the offer."

Jesse Smith walks out on North Melbourne and will nominate for the national draft after claiming the club's facilities are not good enough.

The Kangaroos are understandably upset by his decision.

"This is a very delicate situation because we could not have possibly worked any harder to get Jesse right," North Melbourne's chief of football, Donald McDonald, said.

"Every staff member to a man has bent over backwards to give Jesse every opportunity to get himself right. I challenge any club in the country to have worked harder to get him playing, but the responsibility also has to fall on the player.

"We are extremely disappointed by his decision to walk out, and then to be criticised, well, we are not going to cop it."

Injury plagued Roo Jesse Smith has been offered a new contract despite playing just two games in the past two seasons.

"We've put that offer in and now it's just up to Jesse to decide what he wants to do," Kangaroos chief of football Donald McDonald said.

"He's definitely a required player and we desperately want him at our footy club.

"We've put an enormous amount of time and effort into him the last four or five years."

Jesse Smith remains a required player at North Melbourne despite a terrible run with injury that has restricted him to just 27 games in five seasons.

Smith has been plagued by hamstring and ankle injuries after playing 19 games in 2007.

"Jesse is obviously a topical one because of his injury history, but we still feel that he can play senior football," Chief of football Donald McDonald said.

"There's no doubt about that."

North Melbourne has suffered a cruel blow, with youngster Jesse Smith again breaking down in his comeback bid from a spate of hamstring and ankle injuries.

Smith, playing for North Ballarat's reserve grade side in the VFL, was playing just his second match of the season on Sunday when he re-injured a hamstring.

"Jesse came off the ground yesterday with hamstring soreness and didn't take any further part in the match," North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald said.

"Obviously we're treating this latest setback very seriously, but we won't know the extent of the injury until tonight after he has had scans."

The Roos expect Jesse Smith to front up again in the VFL after getting through his first match of '09 in the North Ballarat reserves .

"It's just part of the long-term plan that we've got so that by the end of the year we can have him cherry-ripe to put in a good pre-season and get him right for next year," North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald said.

"So he's still got seven weeks to go and we just want to get as much footy into him as we possibly can."

Jinxed North Melbourne defender Jesse Smith has suffered another hamstring injury.