Group 4: Adrian Smith wins Moree Boars' Best and Fairest

At least, that's how Adrian Smith remembers it. The Moree Boars fullback, who starred in first grade as his side rampaged their way to the grand final, finished the year with 283 points, including 24 tries.

The next closest point-scorer was Boggabri's Robbie Doolan on 150.

But as far as Smith is concerned, he would likely not have reached these jaw-dropping numbers if it weren't from the confidence his Moree teammates showed in him.

"It made me feel better when the boys believed in me and said they were going to give me the number one at the start of the year," Smith said.

"That really boosted my confidence a bit more. To come out and play like I did, I think it comes back to them believing in me, and me believing in myself, really."

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For his efforts, Smith received the Best and Fairest award at the club's presentation night on Saturday, which he said "felt really good".

Though the fairytale of a premiership victory to go along with his incredible point-scoring feats did not come to fruition, as the Boars were edged by the North Tamworth Bears in the first grade grand final, Smith has largely positive memories from the season.

"I think our club's heading in the right direction," he said.

"It can only go up from here ... I was gutted [after the final], but it's only up from here for the club. This is just the start."

Though he has made himself one of the hottest commodities in the Group 4 competition this year, and will undoubtedly be pursued by rival clubs, Smith said he "[doesn't] really want to move away from home", and the grand final defeat "100 per cent" fired up him up to make a statement in 2024.

"Not just me personally, but everyone in the club," he said.

They will be helped by a mountain of support from friends and family. Like many of the Group 4 teams, the Boars are incredibly tight-knit, and many of their supporters even made the trip to Tamworth for the final.

Their fervour was not lost on Smith, either, who recalled the many phone calls and text messages he got in the lead-up to the big day.

"They were all behind me," he said.

"I was getting phone calls the day before, day of, just telling me to do what I do best, because that's what got me into the position to win a grand final."

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