Jagga Smith Biography

Jagga Smith admits that having a season-ending knee injury was difficult to deal with.

"I remember going in for surgery on the eve of the season and being in that waiting room for surgery, and on my phone I'm seeing all these boys who I got drafted with getting announced for their debuts and I was going into surgery to get my knee reconstructed," he said.

"I was thinking 'This is just unfair. This is a nightmare'. I just didn't think that a knee injury like this would happen to me, but that's how naïve you are when you're young and you haven't been injured. I remember that clearly, sitting in that waiting room on my phone and going 'This is a nightmare'."

Carlton's No.3 pick, Jagga Smith, will miss the entire 2025 season due to an ACL injury suffered during a practice match.

"It certainly was not the news we were expecting and we really feel for Jagga, he has not put a foot wrong from the second he walked into the football club back in November," Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd said.

"While it is really unfortunate we won't see Jagga out of the field this season, he will continue to soak up as much knowledge as he can from his teammates and coaches during his first year in the AFL system, before setting himself to attack his second season head on."

Carlton select Jagga Smith with pick No.3 in the 2024 National Draft.