Geelong coach Chris Scott bullish on Bailey Smith’s impact as young defender in round one mix

Bailey Smith has kept Chris Scott on his toes in his first pre-season, but he is bullish on what he can do in 2025. Plus, a defender is in the mix and an injury update on Shaun Mannagh.

Geelong coach Chris Scott expects bumper recruit Bailey Smith to have an impact on their fortunes in his first year as a Cat, describing his first pre-season at the club as a “whirlwind”.

Smith, 24, missed Geelong’s final practice match with knee soreness and trained indoors on for the Cats’ main session before their season-opener with Brisbane was postponed on Tuesday afternoon.

But Scott was emphatic that he would have been be ready to face the Lions this week if the match went ahead.

Scott said the line-breaker will play through the midfield and potentially in other roles, as he did during his impressive return to footy against Hawthorn last month.

It comes as Scott said one-game key defender Connor O’Sullivan is “right in the frame” to play in Geelong’s first game of the season against Fremantle after a strong summer, also catching the eye against the Hawks.

The dual premiership coach said the 24-year-old’s persona has brought energy to the club and is excited by what he can produce this season and across the next decade,

Chris Scott is excited by Bailey Smith. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“It’s been exciting. It’s been a whirlwind, he keeps you on your toes, Bailey,” Scott said.

“I didn’t know much about him before I met him, but you get to know him pretty quickly. Like he’s intense, he’s a big personality, it’s been good fun our whole pre-season.

“There’s been a bit of excitement around our younger players, and he’s slotted into that group really, really nicely. And I think on-field, we aspire to be a coaching group and a list management group, for that matter, that sort of keeps an open mind as to how guys might evolve once they’re in our system.

“And what he’s done in the past, or what other players have done in the past at other teams, is not necessarily the way we would try to use them. Because sometimes you just come in and it’s a different dynamic because you have, a Max Holmes type next to you, and it can change.

“So that doesn’t change the fact that early in the season, in our next game, we’d expect him to be sort of through the midfield, but with an open mind that that could change as the season progresses,

“He’s going to have an impact for us, one way or another. It’s going to be good fun.”

Scott said O’Sullivan, an athletic 198 centimetre defender, may not play every week but will be right in the mix for their home clash against the Dockers.

“Little bit stiff compared to the 185 centimetre midfielder in that there aren’t that many spots in a team for a key back, but he will get his chance, and that well and truly our plan,” Scott said.

“It’s just not a guarantee that we’ll just leave him in there because there’s so much that’s unknown and we need to juggle. But he’s definitely giving himself every chance.”

Connor O'Sullivan is in the round one mix. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Forward Shaun Mannagh may be available in the next fortnight after being restricted by a “frustrating” foot stress issue.

Mannagh trained on Tuesday along with free agency signing Jack Martin, who played a half of a VFL practice match last week and took part in a full ground scrimmage on Tuesday.

Scott said the club has been cautious with Mannagh, Martin and Cam Guthrie, who underwent minor surgery last month to help repair his Achilles injury.

“I would describe it as not serious, but an injury that you need to be cautious with, if you can even call it an injury. So there’s been this really slow, frustrating progression for him, because he feels like he’s been really good for a long time and been able to progress, but he’s been held back,” Scott said.

“And that was in part, and I think there’s a few others fall in this category – Jack Martin’s one, like even Cam Guthrie is another, where we had this start to the season where our first four or five games were over a long period of time.

“It’s not like we’re cramming them into the first three or four weeks of the year. We have got byes early, we’ve got long breaks with Easter Monday, and we just didn’t see the value in rushing a few of those guys back so they could get one or two extra games. When if we waited a bit, we can be absolutely certain they’ll be ready to go.

“With Shaun though, he had such a good pre season until we did back him off that we expect him to hit the ground running.

“So he won’t be there for the first game, he might be there for the second, and I’ll be very surprised if he wasn’t there for the third.”

Shaun Mannagh at a session in January. Picture: Alison Wynd

Scott confirmed captain Patrick Dangerfield will be spend more time forward in 2025 but it won’t be a permanent move.

“I say things with the best intentions – that is our plan, never really worries me if you don’t completely believe me,” Scott said.

“But if the game’s not going well for us in the midfield and Dangerfield has not seen the ball on the ball on the forward line, he’ll go into the midfield. It’s probably the best way to think about it.”

Scott said there has been lessons learnt out of the entire 2025 season, not just their devastating preliminary final loss to Brisbane.

But he conceded he will never get over the defeat to the eventual premiers.

“I try so hard not to go back, but it’s funny, started doing a bit more media as the season comes up. and it’s a logical thing to ask. ‘How have you bounced back after disappointment last year?’” Scott reflected.

“And sometimes I’m too honest with these things, but I’ll never get over it, completely.

“So what have you choice you got? Move on. Like, I’m not going to sit there and wait until I finally feel like it’s out of my head. It will always be there, but so will ‘22 (premiership) so…” he added with a smile.

Originally published as Geelong coach Chris Scott bullish on Bailey Smith’s impact as young defender in round one mix