Geelong CEO Steve Hocking has dealt with all sorts of players and personalities during his time in football.
But even he had to laugh when Cats recruit Bailey Smith told him he was “harping on a bit” about the importance of structure in one’s life during a recent conversation between the pair.
This season’s big name recruit at the Cats, Bailey Smith.Credit: Cats Media
Those who learnt of the exchange said Hocking viewed Smith’s response as healthy, the next generation feeling free enough to assert their personality at Geelong. It also provided an insight into the relationship-building process under way between Smith and his new club, where he has chosen to make a fresh start to a career that had stalled after 103 games with the Western Bulldogs.
It’s very early days in the relationship, and Smith has not played a match in Cats colours yet, but, as he puts “the most difficult year I’ve experienced” behind him, five competition sources whom this masthead spoke to off the record, so they could speak freely, say he has added spark to the Cats.
Smith has settled into a sprawling Surf Coast property of about six hectares near Bells Beach and now only needs to pass a few strength markers to ensure his reconstructed knee is right to play, having overcome a minor hamstring issue before Christmas.
On Wednesday, Smith was up and about at training, his long blond hair and jumper No.60 (he will wear No.3 in 2025) making him stand out as he bounced around the ground, occasionally splitting from the group to kick a running goal from 50 metres out.
Bailey Smith is part of a new generation of sportspeople who aren’t afraid to be themselves.Credit: Getty Images
He is determined to return his form on the field to the standard he played at when he was one of the game’s most damaging wingmen in 2021 and at the start of 2022, according to those close to him.
He knows time has been lost. His output noticeably decreased in the back half of 2022 after he was suspended for two matches when a video circulated of him with an illicit substance. Then, much to his disappointment, he spent 2023 as a high half-forward for the Bulldogs. With their stacked midfield, it became obvious B. Smith was unlikely to ever be top dog. Then he did his knee, meaning he did not play in 2024, before arriving in October at what he playfully calls “Geetroit”.
His new teammates warmed to him as soon as the initial shock of his high-octane, often profanity-laden, Gordon Ramsay-esque conversations subsided. They began to enjoy the liveliness and unpredictability that came with his presence and the humour behind his occasionally unfiltered expression.
The skipper Patrick Dangerfield and vice captain Tom Stewart have invested time to welcome the new arrival while the presence of former Bulldog footy staff – assistant coach Steven King and new fitness coach Des O’Sullivan – has meant there were a few familiar faces at the club when Smith arrived.
“He has a lot of energy [and is] an absolutely bubbly character that’s ready to blossom. He’s ready to go. He is hanging for round one,” small forward Gryan Miers said this week.
The Cats’ hierarchy is not getting too wound up with his quirks yet either, his willingness to step outside the norm evident when he encouraged punters on a social media post to spend a Saturday afternoon in January sinking “piss” at a Torquay Hotel function.
The function was to promote the alcohol brand Barry’s Drinks, which he owns with the Daicos brothers Josh and Nick, and Carlton star Charlie Curnow.
A risk worth taking
Geelong are also aware that stories about him circulate around the Surf Coast as often as a south-easterly breeze but are happy to sort fact from fiction, confident in Smith’s honesty if any issues arise that need addressing – as they inevitably will, with a character so prominent in a relatively small community.
But the Cats are willing to take that risk, with the belief, according to senior sources within the club, that encouraging individuality to flourish within a team environment is increasingly critical to team success.
It was Jack Ginnivan and “the Wizard” Nick Watson who stepped outside the norm to make the selfie-loving Hawks’ charge deep into finals exhilarating. The enigmatic Lion Joe Daniher took his team to a flag without adhering to convention. Teenager cricket star Sam Konstas played ramp shots when opening the batting on Boxing Day to throw Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah off his game.
Could Smith have a similar impact at the Cats? Will his presence energise an already formidable group that shifted soon after Dangerfield brought a more laid-back style to the club in 2016?
Nick Watson (aka “the Wizard”) commandeers a wizard hat from the crowd.Credit: AFL Photos
At the very least Smith can play a significant role in the midfield, using his elite endurance and reasonable speed to double-team with the more powerful but equally talented Max Holmes to break opponents down.
During match simulation, Smith and Holmes have been playing similar roles and at training their connection is obvious as they wind each other up if a ground ball is missed and celebrate after bursting from congestion to kick goals. The duo swirls around the Cats’ more conventional midfielders Tanner Bruhn, Tom Atkins and the matchwinning veterans.
Smith’s liveliness and enthusiasm for training has already lifted his peers who, insiders say, have already joined him to do extras and seek out information from their coaches.
“He has come in straight away and he is trying to get every role correct for round one so we are not waiting four or five weeks to get into it, and we can be a team straight away,” Miers said.
Taking his own path
Determining what Smith is thinking about the move is not easy as he hasn’t spoken to the media since he arrived at the Cats (he has done two in-house interviews). Not that anyone is surprised; he doesn’t seem to rate the profession as the best way to communicate his thoughts.
On Instagram last week he posted an image of tennis player Ben Shelton’s post-match interview when the American criticised the on-court interviews at the Australian Open with the caption “Welcome to Aussie media horse”.
Smith prefers his own social channels, either communicating for fun or to promote the brands he has attached himself to – such as Cotton On, which he joined as an ambassador in 2022, Stuff That Matters, Monster Energy and Binge.
Dual premiership coach Chris Scott has never been afraid to take risks in the pursuit of success. Credit: Getty Images
Smith’s mainstream media invisibility may be designed to create some intrigue as it fosters an image of someone unwilling to conform to others’ expectations. Only he knows.
Currently, Smith’s major focus is getting his football career on track rather than talking about his new home. The 24-year-old said last year the injury reminded him how much he missed the game and those close to him say he is driven. Hocking, football general manager Andrew Mackie, coach Chris Scott and Dangerfield are the key figures at the club, and they will know that finding the right balance is sometimes a challenge for Smith, who can train like a man possessed when the mood takes him.
As practice matches draw nearer, nerves are sure to arrive, heightening emotions. If he plays for the Cats in round one, 564 days will have passed since his last game. He will need time to find his feet.
The Cats know that it’s important Smith is happy and healthy in 2025. Other achievements will be the byproduct of that. Key figures from the Bulldogs hope he can thrive too, despite his decision to leave.
“The thing I love about him most is that he just loves footy, and he really wants to win and succeed on the footy field,” Miers said. “The off-field stuff will take care of itself. With all of our teammates you have relationships [with them] in different ways, but I just want them all to get on the footy field and want to win.”
There are no guarantees Smith will rediscover his best. But the Cats have decided he is worth the effort as the biggest risk was to take no risk at all.
