Geelong star Bailey Smith has laid bare his struggles with anxiety and his efforts to restore his mental health after he fell into “quite a bad spiral” during his recovery from a serious knee injury last year.
In a revealing and rare interview, the 24-year-old who has started his Cats career in brilliant form, opened up on the professional and personal support he received after falling to rock bottom and realising the need to “sort my shit out”.
Bailey Smith has had an instant impact since his first game for Geelong.Credit: Getty Images
“I fell into quite a bad spiral where I had my knee [injury]. I did not have the mask of footy and all of that sort of stuff to really distract me from what was going on internally,” Smith said.
“When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment [and] stimulation, that’s when to look inward and realise, ‘Shit I am pretty f—– up and I need to sort my shit out’.”
Smith suggested on Instagram that his former captain, Marcus Bontempelli, took the bait ahead of their first clash as rivals.Credit: Instagram
Smith was speaking on the Real Stuff podcast, which goes to air on Wednesday, as an ambassador for Stuff That Matters.
One of the most marketable stars in the game said he had struggled with his mental health since he was a teenager, but it had taken him a long time to seek the support he needed.
“I still see my psych to this day and worked on those new routines and new habits in terms of meditation and ways to look inward. It was a pretty tough time,” Smith said.
Smith has often been in the spotlight since his trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Cats, in part because of provocative comments in television interviews or on social media, but he said his public image did not make him immune from mental health issues. He was willing to talk about his experiences to de-stigmatise conversations about emotional wellbeing.
”[It is sometimes] demonised going to seek professional help. It’s either weak or you are a fruit loop. It really helped me find help and understanding… you are not doing it alone. There are actually people to help you, be it through my family or professional help.”
He admitted that after the knee injury he was partying and drinking and carrying on “like an idiot”, but that was his coping mechanism. He was dreading the rehabilitation process and was uncertain whether he could get back to playing.
“I was always one step forward two steps back in terms of my mental health since I was about 16 or 17… I was a puppet to my emotions,” Smith said.
“[I had] quite bad panic attacks, and really negative thoughts as well happening in my brain, and I was just being played by that.”
After coming back from Europe in the second half of the 2024 season and beginning to think about the next phase of his career, he decided he needed help to address his mental health challenges.
“I used to think I don’t want to go to speak to a psychologist and talk about my f—— feelings [but] It’s not like that. I found a really good one where it was more proactive. I’m not just getting there and dumping how I feel. I used to think psychology was like that.
“We actually built a plan. It’s similar to footy where we built a plan to work on these new skills and try to level up my emotional life and my football life.
“They set up a really good plan for me.”
Smith said his move to the surf coast had been important for his wellbeing and his football, which he says remains the main driver in his life.
“I chose the career of footy because I love it even though it gets a bit misconstrued now. Everyone thinks I love this off-field side, the modelling side of things, everything but the game but the game itself of football [has been] my main driver,” Smith said.
Smith conceded that his behaviour during 2024 had tested relationships but his motivation to move was to take control of his life and career.
“It wasn’t a flawless year last year I wasn’t great in lots of areas of my life, but it takes you to not be great to be great in areas and get shit sorted,” Smith said.
”Sometimes the hardest work is learning to switch off and not keep working, that’s way harder,” Smith said. “It’s easy to get in the gym, easy to train, easy to keep locked in. It’s way harder to take the foot off the gas and look inward and see it and replenish and recover mentally and physically.”
“I never wanted to be the pin-up boy for talking about mental health, because you’re bound to cop backlash… But hopefully through some really unfortunate circumstances… now we’re actually having to talk about it,” Smith said.
“Reaching out and getting help — as much as your pride and that masculine nature says do it all yourself — you’ll dig yourself a deeper hole if you don’t. You’ll be surprised how many people are willing to walk through it with you.”
If you or someone you know needs support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In the event of an emergency dial triple zero (000). Support is also available from MensLine on 1300 78 99 78.
The Real Stuff podcast featuring Bailey Smith launches on Wednesday 28 May, and is available to listen to on stuffthatmatters.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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