Former Carlton coach Michael Voss has picked Jagga Smith to become captain of the Blues in the future.
Smith has impressed in his first proper AFL season after missing last year through an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and is the raging favourite for the Rising Star award.
Voss - who worked closely with the former Pick 3 - was not surprised by the level Smith is playing at, and revealed why the Blues worked so hard to land him in the 2024 stacked draft.
"Absolute lock," Voss said on AFL podcast Access.
"I don't think you can question if he's going to win it from here. There have been other names put up there, and Harry Dean has had an outstanding year. But this is the difference he makes to Carlton, and is why he was such a high priority a couple of years ago because his inside-to-out game is something they needed more of.
"He's loose-ball gets, to get to the outside; he understands the game really well. His ability to give that handball and get to the outside is Daicos-like in terms of the way he actually plays. This is what he brings to the team.
"But probably his biggest attribute he has is that he's an outstanding person. He's got great humility, and I would imagine, at some point in time, he's going to be captain of that football club.
"He's an enormously competitive individual. He wants to be the best in the game. He plays that way; he wants the ball in his hands, and there's no mistake in what he wants to stand for."
Smith has played all 19 games this year, averaging 24.5 disposals, 3.2 marks, 2.8 tackles, 4.3 clearances, and 6.2 score involvements.
