By Marcus Uhe
Officer’s Luke Smaluch said he loved the responsibility of being a senior figure in the Officer midfield this season, and now has the silverware to reflect it.
Smaluch, who placed 11th in the Shane Smith medal count in Premier Division last season, maintained his level of consistency and output to tie with Healesville’s Nick Mende to win the Harold Ramage medal as the Division’s best player for 2023 on 21 votes.
Sitting one vote behind Mende on 18 votes to begin the final round, and level with Berwick Springs’ Hayden Stagg, Smaluch polled three in round 18s loss to Berwick Springs where Stagg managed only two.
Mende polled two in his final outing to finish on 21 meaning the two midfielders shared the honour.
Smaluch, who averaged 35 disposals, 18 contested possessions and nine clearances in his 15 games, said the award came as a surprise, but was honoured to receive the recognition.
“I knew that I’d had a good consistent year and thought I might grab votes in a few games but I never thought I’d win it,” he said.
“There are so many other talented footballers in this competition I thought for sure one of them would take it out.
“Ultimately I don’t think anyone plays footy for personal accolades, it’s that team success we’re all chasing and the Reserves winning the flag on the weekend really solidifies that for me, however there is no doubt it’s a great honour and something I’m really proud of.
“So many people have reached out since winning the award and I think this award is more for them than it is for me because I couldn’t have achieved it without them, my friends, family and teammates really did push me to be better and gave me the freedom and licence I needed to do those extra sessions many others can’t.”
He attributed his success to getting to more contests and a bigger focus on his ball use, while embracing the extra responsibility and acting in a mentoring capacity for a new breed of midfielders at the Kangaroos such as Antonio Quach, Zach Charles and Brodie Snooks.
In the case of Snooks, there’s a sense of coming full-circle for Smaluch, who experienced a similar guidance from Brodie’s father when the roles were reversed.
“I remember when I was a 15-year-old playing senior footy I actually played with his old man Brad and he really helped me develop into the player I am today,” Smaluch said
“I just always had questions, I wanted to pick his brain as much as possible and if I had any problems I just always went to him and he would always help me, so it’s a real nice feeling knowing I get to return the favour back to him by helping his son out.
“And mark my words, that kid is going to be a future superstar of the competition one day, he is going to cause plenty of headaches for future opposition coaches.
“It’s a nice feeling knowing that the younger fellas coming through look up to you and want to play the way you do, they want to try and impress you with their training and game day performances.”
A litany of people came to mind when it came to expressing gratitude, from his brother Chase, to former and current teammates and coaches, but special was reserved for one man who remains a close figure in his footballing consciousness, despite leaving the club last year.
“If anything the credit for my form should go to my last coach Doug Koop,” he said.
“We spent a great deal of time together and we still talk regularly, he really drove me to be better.
“The club is on the way up after a really tough season last year, it’s with a young group and plenty of talent on the list with the right game plan and structures in place should keep moving forward in the right direction.”
