ISAAC Smith would be the last player to seek out individual recognition in a team game such as football, but the young Hawk wouldn't mind polling a few Brownlow Medal votes this year.

It's not because he's after the glory or bragging rights. He just wants to give Andrew Demetriou the chance to get his name right.

Smith was a revelation for Hawthorn in his debut season last year.

A mature-ager who caught the Hawks' eye with his performances for VFL club North Ballarat (after being plucked from local club Redan in mid-2010), the hard-running left-footer played 16 games in 2011.

The best of those came in round 14, when he had 25 touches and booted three goals as Hawthorn trounced Essendon by 65 points.

It was enough to earn Smith his first career vote, an achievement that became more memorable when AFL CEO Demetriou made a strange gaffe.

"Round 14, Hawthorn versus Essendon, one vote, I Omith," Demetriou read to a confused crowd.

Having just played in the Hawks' losing preliminary final team, Smith was busy commemorating the end of his first AFL season at the time of Demetriou's error.

"I was having a few beers so I didn't realise, but I soon found out about it because my phone got flooded with text messages," Smith recalled with a smile this week.

"So I'm now Isaac Omith, not Smith.

"A few of my mates still joke about it.

"Hopefully I can get a few votes this year, which will correct the situation."

Smith made a good case for a vote when he returned to the Hawthorn line-up for last Saturday night's win over St Kilda.

Lacking none of his trademark dash despite three weeks out with calf and back issues, the 23-year-old had 22 disposals and pumped the ball inside attacking 50 five times.

If an ability to run and carry the football is Smith's most obvious attribute, not far behind is his enthusiasm.

A country kid from New South Wales (he played junior footy in Temora with Luke Breust and later in Wagga with Matt Suckling), Smith had just finished a sports management degree in Ballarat when the AFL came knocking.

If things had gone along the path he expected, he'd now be working full-time in that field.

Instead, he's kicking goals in front of packed houses at the MCG.

The way he celebrates those goals - with high leaps and fist pumps to the crowd - is indicative of how fortunate he feels.

"In 2010 I was enjoying playing country footy (for Redan) with my mates, and I was thinking that would be my last year of footy, because I wanted to work in the sporting industry, which would have meant giving up my weekends," he said.

"So I just attacked my last year of footy with my mates and had a good time, and then I guess my footy has gone from strength to strength, and I've been presented with a few opportunities, which has been good."

Hawks assistant coach Brendon Bolton said the former North Ballarat Rooster's positivity had been contagious at the club.

"Having been drafted a little bit more mature and lived a bit of life and played some VFL footy, he knows what it means to be in a footy club with a really strong culture," Bolton said.

"I think a lot of young kids, when they're drafted they come in with some free spirit, and early on they've got to learn all the structures and tactics, and they can get bogged down and go backwards a little bit before going forward again.

"But with Isaac, being such a free spirit, and probably because he was drafted a little older, he's able to play a lot to his instinct.

"But at the same time, he's got a real appetite to learn and develop. He's a really well grounded kid."

Smith hasn't put any pressure on himself to reach certain targets this year.

"I'm just looking to get out there and enjoy it again, and probably try and impact games more to help us win," he said.

If that leads to a Brownlow vote or two and a chance for Demetriou to rectify his 2011 mistake, that probably wouldn't hurt either.