By Peter Ryan
Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith’s only concern pre-Christmas was putting his body and mind into the best shape possible to attack 2024 and hopefully rediscover the form that makes him one of the game’s most exciting talents.
There was no consideration of what a contract might look like beyond 2024 or whether any other clubs might attempt to lure him away from the Whitten Oval as he loomed as one of the most high-profile out of contract players in the game next season.
Bailey Smith has ruptured his ACLCredit: Getty Images
He headed to New York, training alongside star Magpie Nick Daicos to set himself up for the year ahead, and then won a recent pre-season time trial to give every indication he wanted to shut out any distractions and be the best he could be to help his talented teammates succeed.
The ruptured ACL he suffered at training on Wednesday morning at Whitten Oval won’t change anything on the contract front, his focus on an operation and the first steps towards recovery the only place his energies will be directed.
Smith is said to be philosophical and his Instagram post on Wednesday afternoon that carried the words “ahh well, she’ll be right” conveyed that message succinctly to his 341,000 followers.
The club knows Smith, who has only just turned 23, will need support along the recovery journey as it will be a rollercoaster for a player who strives for perfection.
“We’re all extremely disappointed for Bailey, and empathise with him greatly,” Bulldogs football manager Chris Grant said in a club statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“The entire club will rally around him during this difficult time, as he begins his rehab journey.”
But it does change the narrative around the Bulldogs 2024 as they look to redeem themselves after missing the finals and making significant changes to the support crew around premiership coach Luke Beveridge.
Smith’s future was certain to be one of the headlines of the season as he goes out of contract in 2024 and has already attracted interest from opposition clubs after a difficult 2023 where he struggled in his role as a half-forward.
But he wasn’t going to be the only headline act on that front for the Bulldogs as quality ruckman Tim English becomes a free agent at the end of 2024 as he enters his peak years.
English is likely to attract interest from West Coast if he is interested in returning to Western Australia, particularly with Fremantle re-signing Sean Darcy until 2030 after recruiting Luke Jackson last year.
The Bulldogs retained Aaron Naughton when he signed an eight-year extension in October but are also hoping to lock in exciting forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan beyond 2024 amid what is certain to be significant interest from opposition clubs. Their skipper Marcus Bontempelli, arguably the greatest ever Bulldog, then comes out of contract as a free agent at the end of 2025.
Smith’s injury only removes him from the game for a year, rather than put any doubt on the quality of player he will be from 2025 and beyond, given he will only be 24 this time next year.
But it does deny him the opportunity to prove in his contract year how much last year’s dip in form was an aberration, making questions about what’s best for his future linger longer rather than progressing in an obvious direction as they often do when performances stack up.
Bailey Smith won the club’s 2k time-trial in November as he set himself for a big season. Credit: Getty Images
Late last season Smith was the subject of external speculation about his future at the club, with Geelong and Hawthorn linked to him as clubs enquired about whether the frustration he had about the role he was being asked to play might lead to him wanting to wear another jumper. But Smith chose not to entertain a trade out of the Bulldogs and hit pre-season in good shape, determined to recapture the form that made him one of the game’s biggest stars.
After a brilliant 2021 finals series, Smith was one of the game’s brightest and most marketable talents but he has not been able to find consistent form since midway through 2022, when a video emerged of him taking illicit drugs. He admitted after the video became public that he had struggled with the attention and status at times and accepted a two-match ban.
Hawthorn premiership midfielder Jordan Lewis suggested on Fox Footy late in the 2023 season that Smith should “assess all parts of his life” to ensure football was receiving enough attention but his manager Paul Connors later told AFL Media he found such commentary “astounding” as Smith had a good balance.
Smith, who turned 23 just last week, has so far played 103 matches for the Bulldogs and was anticipating playing in Luke Beveridge’s midfield this season.
Now, unfortunately for everyone who loves watching the best players in action, any conversation about Smith this season will be confined to his recovery and his contract. That’s not the sort of excitement anyone was anticipating when it came to Smith in 2024.
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