Chris Scott has moved to cool speculation surrounding Bailey Smith’s recent meeting with AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, insisting the much-discussed catch-up at Smith’s surf coast home was more supportive than serious.
The meeting, which also included Geelong CEO Steve Hocking and football boss Andrew Mackie, made headlines amid lingering attention on Smith’s public image following past social media activity and fan incidents.
But speaking on Friday, Scott was quick to shift the narrative away from discipline and towards perspective.
‘He actually did most of the talking’
“I wouldn’t overplay the importance of it,” Scott told reporters. “It was a very casual and low-key catch-up, as much as can be between peers when you’ve got a 23- or 24-year-old with the CEO of the Cats and the CEO of the AFL.”
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He added that the tone was not one of intervention, and that Smith welcomed the conversation: “The takeaways would have been Bailey has a really good feel that he’s got a lot of people supporting him. I think he recognised better post that meeting how much the AFL value what he can bring to the game.”
Scott clarified that Smith was far from passive in the discussion. “The more I talk about it, the more I get concerned that I give the impression that it was three or four people speaking at Bailey. It wasn’t like that at all. He actually did most of the talking, which is not unusual.”
Smith, 24, will return from a minor hamstring issue for Saturday’s clash with Essendon, a milestone match for Scott and twin brother Brad, who together notch up 1000 combined AFL games as players and coaches.
As for Smith’s presence around the club, Scott was unequivocal: “We’re loving having him. Even these things are so minor in my opinion. Players love him. Staff love him. It’s been good fun to have him around the place.”