Welcome to the Bulldogs: Bailey Smith

[EasternWest]

I preferred him when he pushed kids out of towers.

Eh. I preferred him when his character arc was interesting not trite junk.

[chef]

Bailey has made a statement

That's a pretty decent statement from Baz. Nice to see him own it.

[The Underdog]

That's a pretty decent statement from Baz. Nice to see him own it.

Mostly.
Aside from the I have no excuse, but here’s my excuse bit, it’s a very solid statement and much stronger than a lot of players in similar situations. He didn’t have a lot of options though. Between the photos and video he was absolutely caught out.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I don't care so much about the drugs part. We all make our own choices, but what he has to realise is the potential ramifications of his decisions. The 'worst case' is he becomes addicted, ala Ben Cousins, but none of them think that when they start. However, the main thing he needs to be cognisant of is that it could rob him of a fortune.

He could become the richest player by far if he plays his cards right, both in terms of his on field ability and his massive profile off it.

Is it really worth risking over? That's the question I hope he asks himself moving forward.

[Ghost Dog]

I don't care so much about the drugs part. We all make our own choices, but what he has to realise is the potential ramifications of his decisions. The 'worst case' is he becomes addicted, ala Ben Cousins, but none of them think that when they start. However, the main thing he needs to be cognisant of is that it could rob him of a fortune.

He could become the richest player by far if he plays his cards right, both in terms of his on field ability and his massive profile off it.

Is it really worth risking over? That's the question I hope he asks himself moving forward.

Just to clarify, if the potential for addiction is there, isn't it really a drugs issue?
Or do you see it as a mental health issue.

[Grantysghost]

Just to clarify, if the potential for addiction is there, isn't it really a drugs issue?
Or do you see it as a mental health issue.

Chicken egg.

Sometimes drugs lead to mental health issues.
Sometimes mental health issues lead to drugs.

There's no right answer, it's different for everyone and that's why speaking about how it is for you is super important and receiving support and understanding.

I know a little about Bailey from the mother of his mate and the mental health issues are nothing new.

[westbulldog]

He made a mistake, most 21yo's do. Yes he is high profile, yes he has owned it and publicly apologized. It would be nice to hear our non-existent President provide some public support to the young man. Lets not crucify him but get around him, support him in every way and move on.

[Scraggers]

This is really disappointing; my daughter and niece idolise Bazlenka. He is the example that they all look up to. He has let a lot of people down. I hope the “mental health” break was precisely that and not our club hiding him from drug testing whilst it remained in his system. I would like to have complete faith in him and the club (or any footy club for that matter) but I just can’t be sure anymore.

[jeemak]

This is really disappointing; my daughter and niece idolise Bazlenka. He is the example that they all look up to. He has let a lot of people down. I hope the “mental health” break was precisely that and not our club hiding him from drug testing whilst it remained in his system. I would like to have complete faith in him and the club (or any footy club for that matter) but I just can’t be sure anymore.

I don't have kids, so this is from the cheap seats, but this is a great opportunity to talk to them about a conversation that may usually be difficult to broach and often comes after the fact/ after they've had a crack themselves.

[jazzadogs]

On an unrelated note I do recall Bailey spending a fair chunk of time post-grand final on the Gold Coast with Billy Gowers.

[Grantysghost]

On an unrelated note I do recall Bailey spending a fair chunk of time post-grand final on the Gold Coast with Billy Gowers.

It's also whose house he drove Lachie Hunter to after he stacked his car.

[bornadog]

He made a mistake, most 21yo's do. Yes he is high profile, yes he has owned it and publicly apologized. It would be nice to hear our non-existent President provide some public support to the young man. Lets not crucify him but get around him, support him in every way and move on.

The CEO came out and made the club statement. Do we really need the president as well?

[Grantysghost]

The CEO came out and made the club statement. Do we really need the president as well?

We might be just so used to Gordon and his style it’s hard to get used to KWW.

[bornadog]

We might be just so used to Gordon and his style it’s hard to get used to KWW.

Very few Presidents come out and be the spokes person for the club. Kennett in the past has been outspoken, and Peter was very hands on. The GC president doesn't hold back, but other than those they usually take a back seat.

[jeemak]

I only want the president to be heard on strategic matters, not tactical and fire fighting matters like this.

PG was great, and was who we needed. But I think it would have been part of the plan to get the club running as a business operation and like most corporate structures leave it to the CEO and COO etc. to do the heavy lifting with the board over the top for governance.