Chris Scott says Bailey Smith was apologetic over ‘nose beers’ social media post

Geelong coach Chris Scott maintains his club’s approach to converse with and not condemn Bailey Smith is the best way to address the star midfielder’s notorious “nose beers” social slip up.

Chris Scott addresses his players at training on Thursday. Picture: Alison Wynd

Geelong coach Chris Scott said star recruit Bailey Smith privately admitted he had made a mistake with his controversial social media comment last week.

The divisive 24-year-old was rebuked by AFL boss Andrew Dillon for responding to a fan who asked if he was going to get on the “nose beers” after his side’s 14-point defeat of the Western Bulldogs last Thursday night.

Smith replied with: “Na bro, after the flag maybe tho”.

On Thursday, when asked if his management style had changed towards the talented midfielder in recent weeks, Scott hinted there had been some “minor tweaks”.

However, he suggested Smith had been apologetic with Cats staff following the social media remark.

Bailey Smith on the training track on Thursday. Picture: Alison Wynd

“I think there are some minor tweaks and again, the simple way of describing the interaction between our key people and Bailey has been on where he’s kind of approached us and gone: ‘I wish I hadn’t of done that’, and we’re like: ‘yeah, we’re a bit the same but it’s not a hanging offence’,” Scott said.

“Then he sort of moved through it, but again, I just don’t think we need ultra conservative people wagging their finger at Bailey.

“I appreciate your help, but we’ve got it covered.”

Smith has been fined twice for flipping the bird to fans following games, against the Adelaide Crows and Hawthorn, and was also slugged for slamming a ball into the face of Hawks player Jarman Impey.

However, Scott said Smith had obviously been in the news a lot of late but it was mostly due to his “brilliant form” since crossing to the Cattery and coming up against his former team in “one of the biggest games of the season” last Thursday night.

“So for the most part, really good reasons,” he said.

Geelong coach Chris Scott embraces Shaun Mannagh after a 14-point defeat of the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

When asked if the club was in the business of warning or privately rebuking players behind closed doors, Scott said that kind of activity reminded him of the way “teachers treat little kids”.

“It’s nice to get the opportunity to clarify that bit,” he said.

“It’s not as if the players get free reign and we just support them no matter what and defend the indefensible.

“But what we don’t do is treat them like children and we don’t have expectations on them that are unrealistic, we’d like to think as much as possible, we work for them, they’re professionals.

“Even our 18-year-olds are professional athletes.

“Some are more experienced than others, (but) you do have to remember that guys who have been around a long time in footy terms are still young men learning life’s lessons.

“Things like warnings and when it extends to penalties, just remind me of the way “teachers treat little kids.”

Scott said he preferred to have healthy conversations with players rather than scold them.

“In the same way I hope you and I might have a conversation if we had a disagreement on the street, peer to peer, respectively, try to hear each other’s side of the story and sort of move forward from there,” he said.

“This punitive approach to poor behaviour is something that in my view should be avoided at all costs.

“Society-wide, that’s impossible, you can’t do that, but when you have a relationship with people you see every single day, especially when you have such a healthy respect for them as people, and the way they go about the majority of their life, those things are pretty easy and not as complicated as I think people would like them to be.

“There’s always going to be that other side of the world where people enjoy seeing people get punished.

“This is my personal view and I’m not necessarily representing the position of the football club, I’m not sure we should be tipping into these people who chose to bait players or prominent people and take glee when we see them get punished, I’m not playing that game.”

Originally published as Chris Scott says Bailey Smith was apologetic over ‘nose beers’ social media post