Follow along every Tuesday, as we celebrate Hawthorn champions, past and present...

Hailed as an up-and-coming star from early on in his career, Joel Smith landed at Hawthorn via the second pick in the preseason draft ahead of the 1998 season after spending his first three years with the Saints.

A Rising Star nominee in 1995, it wasn’t until Smith’s second season at the club that he made his first appearance in the brown and gold, having suffering an ACL injury in the latter stages of the ’97 season.

Returning to the field, Smith played 17 games in ’99, and again in the side’s 2000 campaign, including the Hawks’ elimination and semi-finals.

However, it wasn’t until the following year that Smith imposed himself as a key part of the Hawks’ line-up, establishing himself at half-back and providing plenty of run and rebound as Hawthorn made it to within nine points of a grand final appearance.

Rewarded with that year’s Peter Crimmins Memorial Trophy as the club’s best and fairest, the Murray Bushrangers product also won his first All-Australian selection, named on the half-back flank.

Despite again being hampered by injury in 2002 (restricted to only five games), the 185cm defender recaptured his best form in ‘03, playing every game and earning a second All-Australian guernsey after impressing with his efforts to both lock-down on some of the competition’s best forwards and attack from the back half.

Smith’s consistency continued throughout his final four seasons with the Hawks, placing third in the best and fairest in 2004 before helping the side to its first finals campaign in six years in 2007.

It was then that Smith decided to call time on his career at the ripe age of 30, finishing with 221 games - 163 of which were for Hawthorn.

Catch up: Champion Tuesday - Richie Vandenberg

Best Performance

36 disposals, 7 rebound 50s, 6 inside 50s, 11 marks, 6 bounces v Brisbane, Round 5 2004

Best Venue

Subiaco – played 9 games, averaged 18.56 disposals, kicked 8 goals

Best Opponent

Carlton – met 15 times, averaged 18.93 disposals, kicked 10 goals