"I've known Tom a long time, ever since I began working with him at age-group level here in the Bay," Smith said. "You could see back then he had something about him, but his performances over the back end of last season surprised even me.
"Tom came into the side when we had a couple of injuries, did his job with a minimum of fuss and, by the end of the season, was one of the first names on my team sheet."
He tipped the defender to go on to bigger and better things: "Tom has all the attributes to be a top-drawer centre-half. Hopefully he can come in, keep improving and make it impossible for me to leave him out."
