James Smart Looks To Step Back To Playing Role With Kangaroos

The coaching merry-go-round at Kangaroos looks like it has to turn again with James Smart indicating he wants to focus on a playing role in 2023.

Smart linked with the Wagga club after a decorated career with Gundagai this season initially signing on as a non-playing coach.

However he lined up in round one and wants to remain at the club as a player.

"I've said to the club I'm happy to stay and play but I have a few things I need to confirm to get my body right for next year," Smart said.

"If I can have a good pre-season, I'm keen to play."

After a horror run with injuries, particularly in 2021 when he was limited to less than a half of football after breaking his leg in his return from a shoulder injury, Smart only missed three games for the season.

The first was due to COVID in round two and the other two were in the back end of the season as Kangaroos struggled to stay under the allotted player points.

He returned in time to secure Kangaroos their first finals appearance since 2017 but his back is still causing him problems.

"I want to let everything settle after the season and for me the main priority is getting the body into a position where I can commit to playing a full season even though I've played more games this year in the last three years it was still stop-start and I had plenty of breaks in between," Smart said.

"I've got a couple of things I'm dealing with with the physio at the moment but I'm confident if I can have a good pre-season then I will be right to go."

The opportunity to coach again was the big drawcard for the 32-year-old.

However he doesn't feel he has enough time to give the role what it demands.

"It's not that I don't want to coach but I feel like the club needs a captain-coach and it's been challenging," he said.

"I feel like I could do it but then you have to consider how well you want to do it and it probably felt like I did both the job I'm no now and the coaching job about 85 per cent as I've only got so much time on my hands to tick all the boxes that I want to tick and need to tick.

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