Bailey Smith (born 7 December 2000) is a professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who plays for the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Kardinia Park in South Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

. Smith was recruited by the with the 7th draft pick in the 2018 AFL draft, making his debut in the

2019 AFL season The 2019 AFL season was the 123rd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

. He received a nomination for the 2019 AFL Rising Star award in round 9 of the 2019 season, placing fourth in the overall count at the conclusion of the season. Since then, he has been a four-time member of the 22 Under 22 team, and a recipient of the Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award.

Early life and career

Smith grew up in East Malvern played his early career for the East Malvern Knights Junior Football Club in Melbourne's south-east. In 2011, he won the MSJFL under-11 west division best and fairest award. He also won a best and fairest with

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. The ...

while playing in the team in Year 11, and was named as a member of the AIS-AFL Academy. Smith played for the Sandringham Dragons in the

NAB League The Talent League (also known as the Coates Hire, Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the National Australia Bank, NAB League and Transport Accident Commission, TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representa ...

for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In his 2017 season with the Dragons, he had a very solid year as a bottom-ager, averaging 24.3 disposals and 4 tackles a game. Playing as a half-back, his breakout game with the Dragons came in the eleventh round of the season, where he collected 34 and 5 clearances to help the Dragons to a 49-point victory over the Geelong Falcons. The following week, he again led the team for disposals, collecting 32 disposals in a thrilling 1-point win over the

Gippsland Power The Gippsland Power is an Australian rules football team in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. Honours *Premierships (1): 2005 *Runners-up (3): 1999, 2010, 2012 *Minor Premiers (3): 2005, 2007, 2 ...

. In the fourteenth round of the season, Smith was named as the player of the round after he had the best game of his career to that point, totalling 44 disposals, 13 inside 50s and 10 clearances. At the conclusion of the season, Smith was awarded best first year player award after his promising performances. Smith was named captain of

's first XVIII football team, as well as for the Sandringham Dragons, for the 2018 season. Smith was named the captain. However, he would only play two games with the team as a result of an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

injury as well as clashing representative and school team commitments. In his first game of the season, Smith had an excellent game, collecting 37 disposals, 7 tackles and 12 clearances to be one of the best on ground. His other game came on 28 April, where he collected 28 disposals against the Western Jets. Smith was also selected to play for Vic Metro in the AFL Under 18 Championships for the 2018 season. He had his best game in the third round of the tournament, where he tallied up 20 disposals and 3 goals in what was close to a best on ground performance. He was also named in the team's best in all of the other rounds. Smith claimed Vic Metro's Most Valuable Player Award, and was named in the Under 18 All-Australian team as a midfielder. By the end of the 2018 season, Bailey Smith was touted as a top 10 pick who could be picked up by the or the . Smith was eventually taken at pick 7 by the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

in the 2018 AFL draft.

AFL career

2019–2020: Early career

When first coming to the club, it was revealed that Smith would inherit the no.6 guernsey from the outgoing Luke Dahlhaus. He missed out on a large amount of the pre-season, as a result of the Achilles tendon injury he suffered in his draft year. Despite this setback, Smith made his AFL debut in the Western Bulldogs' win over the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

in the opening round of the

. On debut, Smith collected just 8 disposals and 4 tackles. However, he would improve from there, collecting 13 disposals the next week and 22 disposals the week after that. He earned a 2019 AFL Rising Star nomination in the Bulldogs' Round 9 loss to Geelong, totalling 28 disposals, 10 contested possessions and 5 clearances. Smith had a very solid game against in round 20, collecting 27 disposals and 4 clearances. He was also named in the team's best in round 21, where he contributed 23 disposals and a goal in the team's 104-point thrashing of . At the conclusion of the season, Smith finished fourth in the 2019 NAB Rising Star award behind Sam Walsh, Connor Rozee and Sydney Stack. He was also named as the Chris Grant Best First Year Player for the

. In December 2019, it was revealed that Smith would sign on with the Bulldogs until the end of 2022. Smith had a successful 2020 season in what was to be a season majorly affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He did not miss a single game the entire year, meaning he had played 35 consecutive games. In just his second game of the season, he had a solid game to be one of the team's best in what was a disappointing 39 point loss to , where he collected 29 disposals, 5 tackles and 2 marks. Smith suffered a concussion early in the Bulldogs' round 5 clash against after being tackled by Shaun Atley, but was named fit to play the following week, continuing his run of consecutive games. Smith stood up in many disappointing losses that year, again being named as the team's best in an dismal 52-point loss to after collecting 26 disposals and a goal. His efforts in that game saw him collect 1

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

vote despite being on the losing side. Round 8 saw smith be named as one of the team's best while also picking up two

votes, after being crucial to the Bulldogs' 5-point win over . Smith had his best game for the year in the ' 57 point victory over in the 12th round of the season, where he collected a career-high 37 disposals, as well as 4 marks, 3 tackles and 10 inside 50s. He followed this game up with a best on ground performance the following week which earned him 3 Brownlow Medal votes, tallying 26 disposals and a goal against . After the finish of the season, Smith was named ruck rover of the 2020 22 Under 22 team.

2021–2022: Improvement and controversies

The 2021 season was to be a season of improvement for Smith, rotating through different positions such as midfielder, wingman and forward. He had a good start to the pre-season, winning the team's running test, a display of his improved fitness. Smith was named as the Bulldogs' best on ground in their win over in the opening round of the

2021 AFL season The 2021 AFL season was the 125th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, winning the Bob Rose–Charlie Sutton Medal after registering 35 disposals and 2 goals. He also earned three Brownlow Medal votes as a result of his performance. He also had a solid performance in the team's 128-point demolition of in the Good Friday match in round 3, where he collected 26 disposals to be named one of the team's best players. After a quiet patch of form in the mid-season, Smith began to stamp his presence on games more regularly. In round 15, he had 31 disposals and 2 goals to be best on ground behind the captain Marcus Bontempelli, which earned him two Brownlow Medal votes. In June 2022, a video surfaced of Smith holding a bag of white powder at a party late in 2021. As a result, Smith issued a statement admitting to possessing an illicit substance. Smith subsequently received a two-match suspension. After missing the entire 2024 AFL season due to injury, Smith confirmed his desire to be traded at season's end. In October, he officially requested a trade to , and was traded on the final day of trade period.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the round 6 of the 2025 season'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, , 6 , , 23 , , 11 , , 10 , , 184 , , 222 , , 406 , , 58 , , 93 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 8.0 , , 9.7 , , 17.7 , , 2.5 , , 4.0 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, , 6 , , 18 , , 6 , , 9 , , 190 , , 192 , , 382 , , 30 , , 45 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 10.6 , , 10.7 , , 21.2 , , 1.7 , , 2.5 , , 7 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, , 6 , , 26 , , 17 , , 13 , , 354 , , 259 , , 613 , , 97 , , 87 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 13.6 , , 10.0 , , 23.6 , , 3.7 , , 3.3 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, , 6 , , 17 , , 6 , , 10 , , 285 , , 210 , , 495 , , 63 , , 65 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 19.7 , , 13.3 , , 33.0 , , 5.2 , , 4.5 , , 10 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, , 6 , , 19 , , 4 , , 8 , , 230 , , 217 , , 447 , , 62 , , 66 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 12.1 , , 11.4 , , 23.6 , , 3.3 , , 3.5 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, , 6 , , 0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, , 3 , , 5 , , 2 , , 1 , , 98 , , 50 , , 148 , , 21 , , 26 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 19.6 , , 10.0 , , 29.6 , , 4.2 , , 5.2 , , – , - , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 108 ! 46 ! 51 ! 1341 ! 1150 ! 2491 ! 331 ! 381 ! 0.4 ! 0.5 ! 12.4 ! 10.7 ! 23.1 ! 3.0 ! 3.5 ! 29 Notes

Public image and personal life

Smith has a strong presence on social media, with the most followers on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

out of all players in the AFL, totalling 364,000 followers. He is also recognised for his distinct mullet hairstyle. Smith is a brand ambassador for the clothing chain Cotton On and drink

Monster Energy Monster Energy is a brand of energy drink, energy drinks that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. In 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% Market share, share of the American energy drink market, th ...

. He collaborated with Cotton On on a clothing collection which was released in September 2023. He has also appeared in advertising campaigns for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

Kayo Sports Kayo Sports is an Australian over-the-top video streaming service owned by Hubbl, a subsidiary of Foxtel. Launched in November 2018, the service is oriented towards sports, carrying live and on-demand content from Foxtel's Fox Sports networks ...

, CoinSpot and Stuff That Matters. In 2023, Smith founded a company called Alter Ego Drinks and launched an alcoholic drinks line called Barry. Barry Drink currently has three flavours, and is owned by Smith with branding partners Charlie Curnow, Reece Walsh, and Josh and Nick Daicos. Smith has been open about his mental health struggles, with his former teammate Dale Morris being a mentor to Smith, helping him to deal with his struggles. In May 2020, Smith took part in the Big Freeze challenge, where the contestants jump into icy water to help raise funds to combat

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

. Smith has an older brother and younger sister. He is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In 2023, Smith began studying a bachelor of business.

Honours and achievements

Individual * Chris Grant Best First Year Player: 2019 * 22 Under 22 team: 2020, 2021 * Bob Rose–Charlie Sutton Medal: 2021

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bailey 2000 births Living people Western Bulldogs players Geelong Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Sandringham Dragons players People educated at Xavier College 21st-century Australian sportsmen People from the City of Stonnington