Welcome to the Bulldogs: Bailey Smith

[Sedat]

I don't think we trade someone as good as Baz even if he doesn't have huge upside from this point. We need more players of his quality in his age bracket, not less and if he keeps tracking the way he is then I'll be happy with a pick seven from who we get a couple hundred games.

We're thin in midfield stocks as it is and Smith runs all day and has elite traits at AFL level (if some flaws as well). He's proven himself in the heat of September and should be an integral part of our team for many years to come.

[EasternWest]

I think we're forgetting how good Bailey was when Treloar went out of the side - he was huge against Adelaide and the Blues, where he attended 87% and 75% of centre bounces respectively. On the weekend, it was 6%.

I think Bailey is clearly an inside mid who is the 'next best' on our list for one of those spots, after our starting options. When he gets in there, he's been bloody good. When he can't get in there, he's a fairly inconsistent outside mid/half forward whose kicking lets him down way too often.

I still think he'll be an outstanding player. We wouldn't have made the 2021 Grand Final without his finals series and the idea of trading out our sole promising mid who's younger than 25 makes me shudder.

He needs to bide his time, clean up his kicking and decision making and I think when he does get a starting inside-mid spot, we'll see an improvement similiar to what we've seen with Treloar this season.

I'm really 80% joking about it (the remaining 20% is always open to great offer), but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing things like "when he cleans up his kicking" (not having a go at you for it, just seems a recurrent vibe). When is that going to be?

[jeemak]

We're thin in midfield stocks as it is and Smith runs all day and has elite traits at AFL level (if some flaws as well). He's proven himself in the heat of September and should be an integral part of our team for many years to come.

Agreed. And the fact we have both him and Jacko ready to step in and cover for others presently playing more prominent roles is actually a good thing.

[jeemak]

I'm really 80% joking about it (the remaining 20% is always open to great offer), but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing things like "when he cleans up his kicking" (not having a go at you for it, just seems a recurrent vibe). When is that going to be?

He's letting himself down this year. A quick look at disposal vs. his most similar player in our set up Adam Treloar. This year he's going at 66.8% and Treloar 71.4%. Career wise they're at 70% and 70.4% respectively.

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/...&fid1=S&fid2=S

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/...&fid1=C&fid2=C


Like most things with most of our players I think his shortfalls are between the ears. He has demonstrated an ability to use the football more efficiently, he just needs to get his shit together.

[lemmon]

I'm really 80% joking about it (the remaining 20% is always open to great offer), but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing things like "when he cleans up his kicking" (not having a go at you for it, just seems a recurrent vibe). When is that going to be?

You're right - maybe he never does and it's something that's always a slight on his game.

I agree with Sedat though that a lot of other areas in his game are elite and I think his best his All Australian standard, despite his inconsistent disposal. He has terrific speed and running capacity, he's good inside the contest, accumulates well on the outside, is a good mark for his size and we've seen that he rises to huge occasions. We just don't see Bailey put it together for enough weeks on the bounce - I think that's a mixture of maturity and opportunity.

[Ozza]

Truth is he has reached his ceiling. As a kid he was too intense with training and didn?t have the same trajectory for growth as others have when entering the AFL.

Hawks for their first pick and I?m sold. They are desperate to get into the teenage girl and middle aged housewife markets

That's a pretty poor comment IMO.

[Ozza]

I think we're forgetting how good Bailey was when Treloar went out of the side - he was huge against Adelaide and the Blues, where he attended 87% and 75% of centre bounces respectively. On the weekend, it was 6%.

I think Bailey is clearly an inside mid who is the 'next best' on our list for one of those spots, after our starting options. When he gets in there, he's been bloody good. When he can't get in there, he's a fairly inconsistent outside mid/half forward whose kicking lets him down way too often.

I still think he'll be an outstanding player. We wouldn't have made the 2021 Grand Final without his finals series and the idea of trading out our sole promising mid who's younger than 25 makes me shudder.

He needs to bide his time, clean up his kicking and decision making and I think when he does get a starting inside-mid spot, we'll see an improvement similiar to what we've seen with Treloar this season.

Good post.
He's a 22 year old with still plenty of upside as all 22 year olds do. He's done an extraordinary job to get to 96 games so quickly and cope with all that the game throws at the players (and some more than that in his case).

He had a game where he dominated a brownlow medalist, had 30 possessions, a goal and 10 clearances. It was 5 weeks ago. Then had 37 the very next week. We're lucky to have him.

[azabob]

I'm really 80% joking about it (the remaining 20% is always open to great offer), but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing things like "when he cleans up his kicking" (not having a go at you for it, just seems a recurrent vibe). When is that going to be?

Come on EW; if we use that logic we need to trade out English, Naughton and Bontempelli as they all have flaws in their game also.

It’s a moot point as he will sign with the swans as a free agent soon enough.

[EasternWest]

Come on EW; if we use that logic we need to trade out English, Naughton and Bontempelli as they all have flaws in their game also.

It’s a moot point as he will sign with the swans as a free agent soon enough.

I've said previously only Bont and Naughton are untradeable in my opinion.

[azabob]

I've said previously only Bont and Naughton are untradeable in my opinion.

I support this statement.

[D Mitchell]

T.....

Hawks for their first pick and I?m sold. They are desperate to get into the teenage girl and middle aged housewife markets

Where's that from ? teenage girl and middle aged housewife ?

[bulldogtragic]

I've said previously only Bont and Naughton are untradeable in my opinion.

Only Bont & Marra for me. Hopefully Darcy soon though, Weightman almost too.

Everyone else has a price. Especially Naughton & Smith, if high enough trade value.

[Mantis]

He's letting himself down this year. A quick look at disposal vs. his most similar player in our set up Adam Treloar. This year he's going at 66.8% and Treloar 71.4%. Career wise they're at 70% and 70.4% respectively.

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/...&fid1=S&fid2=S

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/...&fid1=C&fid2=C


Like most things with most of our players I think his shortfalls are between the ears. He has demonstrated an ability to use the football more efficiently, he just needs to get his shit together.

I'm a bit wary on disposal efficiency based on how it's tracked... a long kick which doesn't result in a direct turnover is seen as being effective, and Bailey does lots of these, but I guess it's countered by Adam's ''hack'' kicks from congestion.

Would be more interested in seeing retention rate which we know is poor from Bailey when he kicks inside 50.

[1eyedog]

I'm really 80% joking about it (the remaining 20% is always open to great offer), but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing things like "when he cleans up his kicking" (not having a go at you for it, just seems a recurrent vibe). When is that going to be?

Bont can't kick at goal, Treloar is physically fragile, Macrae is slow, Smith is hit and miss over 20m everyone has a fallibility.

Baz really should be playing in the midfield though. He'd be looking around the league at a number of 22 year old players playing decent midfield minutes.

[EasternWest]

Bont can't kick at goal, Treloar is physically fragile, Macrae is slow, Smith is hit and miss over 20m everyone has a fallibility.

Baz really should be playing in the midfield though. He'd be looking around the league at a number of 22 year old players playing decent midfield minutes.

Agree with all of this and don't have any real counterpoints except that of all those frustrations nothing pushes me over the edge more than Baz just bombing it forward without any care time and time again.