Bailey Smith permitted to train away from Bulldogs, Hawks to be armed with top pick to satisfy trade

There are three clubs leading the race for Bailey Smith, but the Hawks will have a card up their sleeve that their rivals won’t be able to match when the trade period opens later this year.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 12: Bailey Smith of the Bulldogs gives the thumbs up during the 2024 AFL Round 05 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Essendon Bombers at Marvel Stadium on April 12, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Western Bulldogs permitted star midfielder Bailey Smith to train away from the club earlier in his recovery from an ACL injury to help ease the gun ballwinners’ frustrations with the injury.

The Dogs allowed Smith to train at a gym facility closer to his home in the eastern suburbs earlier in the year rather than have to make his way to the kennel for the daily grind of knee rehab.

The injury was a major disappointment for the linebreaker who was set for a massive year after winning the club’s time trial in the pre-season before the season-ending injury in December.

A strong season could have helped Smith deliver a contract worth up to $1 million a season but the knee injury will have reduced his value on his next deal.

Smith looks certain to request a trade at season’s end with strong interest from Collingwood, Hawthorn and Geelong likely to net the Dogs a first-round draft pick for him.

Bailey Smith is still recovering from an ACL tear. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The Magpies and Cats have long been linked to the playmaker but the Hawks are certain to have an earlier first-round pick to help satisfy the Dogs in a trade.

Smith, 23, has resumed running in his recovery from the season-ending ACL injury and will consider heading overseas for a couple of weeks as part of a mid-year break.

Smith is unlikely to play this season with the club unlikely to risk one of their prime midfielders ahead of a potential trade to a Victorian rival.

The three clubs keen on Smith will undergo full assessments on his knee before they make a call on a trade for him.

Smith’s future at the Dogs is in doubt. Photo by Michael Klein.

Hawthorn is currently in second-last spot on the ladder and could either keep their first pick or potentially split it for two first-round choices to land a gun youngster and Smith.

Recruiters have said the top end of this year’s draft is seen as a very even crop with not much splitting the top-12 players.

Collingwood does not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft after trading it for ex-Docker Lachie Schultz last year, while the Cats are currently in first place and would have pick No. 18 on current ladder positions.

Smith is intent on making a full recovery and believes his best football is still ahead of him after a blistering finals series in 2021 fanned hype that he was one of the most damaging playmakers in the league.

He kicked eight goals in three finals as the Dogs went down to Melbourne in the 2021 Grand Final.

Originally published as Bailey Smith permitted to train away from Bulldogs, Hawks to be armed with top pick to satisfy trade