‘Pull your head in': AFL puts Bailey Smith ‘in the gun' after seven-word comment
Geelong superstar Bailey Smith has reportedly been given a stern warning from the AFL, after his satirical comment on Instagram regarding the future use of drugs.
FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
The 24-year-old, who is in career-best form, replied to a comment on Instagram last week asking if he was going to have 'nose beers' after his win over former club the Western Bulldogs last Thursday night.
Satirically, Smith replied saying: 'Na bro, after the flag maybe tho (sic).'
The comment has created even more public attention on his first year in the navy hoops, and a very hard word from the league says Fox Footy's Midweek Tackle Jon Ralph.
'The AFL's message to Bailey Smith is very clear: 'Pull your head in Bailey, you are in the gun right now,'' Ralph said on Tuesday night.
'He's left with a really strong message from the AFL: 'If this happens again, don't cry poor; don't say I wasn't aware of it'.
'The AFLPA boss Paul Marsh says it's in his character, it was a tongue-in-cheek thing, he's got a lot of personality in his game — but it was probably misplaced.
'Once again, Smith is the centre of attention. Once again, Chris Scott, Andrew Mackie and Steve Hocking have to deal with their star player mid-week.'
The dashing midfielder is every chance to be leading the league's Brownlow Medal count after 11 rounds, and again starred against the Bulldogs for his 33 disposals, seven tackles, six tackles and 810 metres gained.
Geelong have been supportive of their star recruit ever since his arrival at the club, however Midweek Tackle panellist Corbin Middlemas believes behind closed doors they would be reminding him of the fine line that comes from being such a public figure.
'I'm sure that what we're hearing from Geelong publicly is different to how they're treating Bailey Smith internally. I think so far, the way they've treated it publicly is completely consistent with the way that they've treated a lot of their players; particularly under Chris Scott's tenure,' said Middlemas.
'The difference with Bailey Smith is, he's in a very different position than a lot of those other guys ... even guys like Tyson Stengle and Jack Steven that have come in over the years that have had their troubles; often they're in their last stop in the footy system.
'That's not Bailey Smith's circumstance though, so it's another interesting juggling act for the Cats ... I know both Steve Hocking and Chris Scott have spoken about the fact that it's a good challenge for them as CEO, coach and as a club to try and work their way through this.
'There's going to be a couple of bumpy moments as there has been early on, and yet the performance on the field has been first-class; he's arguably the Brownlow Medal leader. So they're certainly getting the best out of him on-field.'
Smith, who didn't play any football in his final year at Whitten Oval due to an ACL injury, seems to thrive off the extra public attention that comes with personality added Ralph.
'Part of me thinks that this isn't his kryptonite this attention, this is his superpower. He absolutely loves this stuff, and this is the reason that he's playing so well.'
Geelong play West Coast this Sunday night at Optus Stadium, starting at 5:20pm (7:20pm AEST).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Anthony Albanese faces a novel challenge in Sussan Ley
Anthony Albanese loves a trophy, especially a human one. He prides himself on his various "captain's pick" candidates — good campaigners he has steered into seats. Way back in the Gillard days, he was key in persuading discontented Liberal Peter Slipper to defect. Slipper became an independent and Labor's speaker. The exercise helped the government's numbers, but the bold play didn't end well for Labor or for Slipper. The government was tarnished, and Slipper, relentlessly pursued by the Coalition and mired in controversy, eventually had to quit the speakership. The affair did produce Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech, however. Now Albanese has another gee-whiz prize — Western Australian Senator Dorinda Cox, who has defected from the Greens. Cox, after being defeated in a bid for Greens deputy leader, approached Labor and the PM drove her course to being accepted into the party. The manoeuvre makes a marginal but insignificant difference to Senate numbers — Labor will still need the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Taking in Cox is a risk, and some in Labor are looking at it askance. The prime minister's embrace of Cox contradicts Labor's argument when its Western Australian senator Fatima Payman defected to become an independent. It said then hers was a Labor seat and she should therefore resign. But this wouldn't be the first time expediency trumped consistency in politics. Cox, who is Indigenous and was spokesperson for First Nations and resources in the last parliament, has been a fierce critic of the extending the North West Shelf gas project, which the government has just announced. Albanese says he is confident she "understands that being a member of the Labor Party means that she will support positions that are made by the Labor Party". She has also faced allegations of treating staff badly. Labor discounts the claims against her, saying they are overblown and a product of Greens factionalism and toxicity. Certainly, she was given a tough time by the hard-left faction represented by deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi. Labor would be wise to ensure Cox feels supported in her new party home. Albanese perhaps calculates that the worst that can happen is there's a blow up and she defects to the crossbench. Labor could shrug and say, she was never really one of us. Snatching a senator from the Greens is particularly satisfying to Albanese because he hates the party so much. Last term, lower house Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather (defeated at the election) really got under his skin. More generally, the Greens held up important legislation, most notably on housing. In the new Senate, Labor will need only the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. How new Greens leader Larissa Waters — who replaced Adam Bandt after he lost his seat — handles the party's relationship with the government will be crucial for the more contentious parts of Labor's legislative program. The usually low-key Waters will be under a lot of pressure. The Greens had a bad election, losing three lower house seats. Now they have lost a senator at the start of Waters's watch. Waters conceded on the Serious Danger podcast in late May that Labor had successfully run the narrative of the Greens as blockers. "So, I do think we're going to need to be quite deft in how we handle balance of power in this term, […] People want us to be constructive. They don't just want us to roll over and tick off on any old shit. They want meaningful reforms." Waters will want to pick her fights carefully and also find ways of pursuing the Greens' agenda where the party co-operates. The first deal is likely to be on the government's legislation to increase the tax on those with large superannuation balances, which contains the controversial provision to tax unrealised capital gains. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her team will confront some of the same problems as the Greens — when to oppose and when to seek to negotiate with the government. For his part, Albanese will have a novel challenge with Ley — what stance to adopt against the first female opposition leader, especially but not only in parliamentary clashes. After facing two alpha-male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, "Labor can't monster a woman". There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to "smash her". For Ley, trying to deal with the Liberals' multiple difficulties in attracting women voters and candidates must be high on her agenda. Former Liberal federal president Alan Stockdale, one of the three-person group currently running the NSW division of the party, showed himself part of the problem when this week he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council, "The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected." Stockdale said later he was being "light-hearted". Tone deaf might be a better term. Ley jumped on him. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman. In fact, I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party." The jury is out on whether Ley will be able to make any sort of fist of her near-impossible job. But in the short time she's been leader, she has shown she is willing to be assertive. She emerged from the brief split in the Coalition looking much steadier than Nationals leader David Littleproud, even though she had to persuade her party room to accept the minor party's policy demands. In her frontbench reshuffle, she was willing to wear the inevitable criticism that came with dropping a couple of senior women who had under-performed. As deputy leader, Ley adjusted her style a while before the election, toning down the aggression and sometimes wild attacks, that had characterised her performance earlier in the term. A Liberal source said she found her "line and length". As leader, she will have others, notably deputy Ted O'Brien, to do the head-kicking, giving her room to attempt to develop a positive political persona. Labor leaned into attacking Dutton — never afraid to name him. With Ley, Albanese might adopt the Bob Carr approach of avoiding using his opponent's name. At least until he finds his line and length in dealing with her. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra and chief political correspondent at The Conversation, where this article first appeared.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
My to-do list for the man about to become football's Mr Fix It
As difficult as it was for The Fonz to say 's ... s ... s ... s ... sor ... sorry' in TV's Happy Days, some critics of the AFL might be equally reluctant to say 'w ... w ... w ... wel ... well done' to the AFL on the appointment of Greg Swann. But the league deserves plaudits for appointing Swann. He has an incredible track record wherever he has gone. Not only did he lead two of the biggest clubs in footy heartland – Carlton and Collingwood – but the job he did steering the turnaround of the Brisbane Lions was remarkable. The Lions today are a stable club, with healthy attendance at games, on-field success, elite training facilities, and are considered a destination club for many players. That's a far cry from the position the club was in when Swann arrived in 2014. Just like your columnist in his playing days, the AFL is never be accused of being fast. But Swann was lured to league headquarters just days after the role of head of football performance was created. The speed and quality of that appointment has been widely applauded, even by the league's harshest critics. But the AFL's glacial response to a raft of issues needing serious attention has left a legacy. After taking nearly two years to appoint Andrew Dillon as CEO to replace Gillon McLachlan, the league has continued to lack urgency, particularly in the development of a new drugs policy, and addressing concerns about the football department soft cap. Let's hope the events of the past week herald an era of greater vigour and energy from the AFL, spearheaded by Swann, a man who is both pragmatic and decisive – just what they need at footy's City Hall. As he prepares to step into his new job next month, I, like many others, have some ideas on what his priorities should be. This is my to-do list for the AFL's new footy supremo:
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Hawthorn star Massimo D'Ambrosio's Clayton home tour has buyers buzzing
Hawthorn's Massimo D'Ambrosio has traded footy drills for espresso shots, helping sell a mate's home that could've doubled as his nonna's. In an exclusive to the Herald Sun, it can be revealed the rising AFL talent has joined the campaign for 23 Murdo Rd, Clayton as a proud property ambassador, bringing heart, heritage and a touch of la dolce vita to a much-loved listing. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on a generous 715sq m block and is being sold through Buxton Oakleigh auctioneer Dimitri Damianos, with strong appeal for both families and developers. While the 21-year-old isn't the owner, he's an Italian friend of the vendors, and the home's nostalgic charm, from its manicured gardens to its fruit-laden trees, instantly struck a chord. 'He grew up around homes like this,' Mr Damianos said. 'The fruit trees, the layout, the smell of cooking in the air, it reminds him of his grandparents' place. 'His Italian roots are a big part of who he is, and this home really captured that.' D'Ambrosio, who was drafted by Essendon in the 2022 mid-season draft and played a breakout season for Hawthorn in 2024, visited the home this week and Mr Daminos bonded instantly with the owners over coffee, cannoli and shared Sicilian roots. 'There was this hilarious moment where he spotted some gaggiu fruit — loquats — in the yard and called it out immediately,' he said. 'I had no idea what it was — the family gave me grief for that. 'But Massimo was in his element.' Inside, the home features original Sortino furniture — a brand that rivalled Franco Cozzo, as well as polished timber floors and a layout made for family gatherings. With the matriarch now moving into aged care and managing health issues the family is parting with the home after decades of milestones and Sunday lunches, and they're hoping it finds new owners who'll love it just as much. 'This place has hosted countless birthdays, barbecues and celebrations,' Mr Damianos said. 'It's full of love, and now the campaign is, too.' Auction day is set to be a full-blown Italian celebration, complete with coffee, cannoli, and, if his schedule allows an appearance from D'Ambrosio himself. Clayton continues to be one of Melbourne's most in-demand pockets, with PropTrack data showing house prices have climbed more than 36 per cent over the past five years, driven by strong buyer demand, proximity to Monash University and the Victorian Heart Hospital, and excellent rail and retail connections. The home will be brought to market soon.
