Western Bulldogs draftee Bailey Smith faced his fair share of public and media criticism in the lead-up to the 2018 AFL draft. After being taken with pick 7 and settling into his new home at the Whitten Oval, Smith spoke with AFLPlayers.com.au about his journey to the AFL, his faith and how he manages the spotlight. 

How have you settled into life at the Bulldogs and during your first few weeks in the AFL system?

Yeah, it’s been really easy so far. At the Doggies I haven’t found there to be too many egos and so everyone has been really welcoming and treated me like I have been there for years already. I’ve settled in well and knew a few of the boys there already which helped but they’ve all been so welcoming.

You moved in with Easton Wood for your first couple of weeks at the club, what was that like and what insights did living with someone of his calibre give you?

It was good to see his routine and what he did every day and how he went about it. He also helped me with so much advice. He’d just mention simple things even when we were walking to get a coffee and it’s those things that I still remember too and are things that I should keep in mind. He’s so knowledgeable because he’s been playing for such a long time so I made an effort to feed off him as much as I could — from everything like cooking to how he goes about daily things.

‘THIS KID WITH THE LONG, BLONDE MULLET IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING’

What cooking advice did he give to you?

I’ve learnt a few new recipes off him! We made a really good chicken and mushroom risotto. That was my favourite… I absolutely loved that. We stood there stirring it for about an hour because we were cooking after training for a few of the boys. He’s also helped me with finding balance with food because I was pretty strict on my diet before that. Easton helped me understand that it’s alright to treat yourself, and he treats himself with something he enjoys every day. Just understanding that you don’t have to be so harsh on yourself all the time helps with balance and the ability to sustain your training standards.

You’ve been dreaming about playing AFL since you were young and it’s something that you’ve worked incredibly hard towards. What did it mean when your name was called? 

I was holding mum’s hand as hard as I could. My dad, Nick, older brother and younger sister were with me too. I still can’t believe it. I remember thinking two or three months before the draft that going to the Bulldogs would be too good to be true. Honestly, out of every club the Doggies were in my top preferences, and I’m not just saying that because I ended up there. I remember when they called my name out and after I had been on stage I hugged Easton Wood about eight times — I couldn’t stop. It’s still all a bit of a blur because it was such a rush of excitement but I wake up every single day still so grateful and don’t take my opportunity for granted.

For someone who hasn’t played an AFL game yet the spotlight has shone brightly on you — how did you deal with that pressure and the comments coming from people you didn’t know?

It was pretty tough. I copped a flair bit of flak in the media and on comments about how I go about my business but I think the big thing for me was to learn not to read into it. Previously that was something that I had done and that didn’t help. I tried to drown out the footy talk, but in the lead-up to the draft that was really hard because I was counting down the days but I did my best to keep footy talk away from home. I surrounded myself with loved ones and people that I love being around which helped me keep my mind off it but it was still bloody hard to shut it all out when you see your mates and they mention things. It was definitely tough but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since being drafted, how have you found that external support or pressure change? I imagine you’ve become a fan favourite of the Dogs already!

Yeah, the Bulldogs supporters have been the best. I’ve made an effort to reply to messages from supporters and people because I am just so thankful for every bit of support that I’m getting. Seriously, it’s just been too good. Even the club itself, the fans are so interested in who you are. I definitely am not taking it for granted but also I am thankful for that support.

You also have a unique connection to Nick Coffield. How did you friendship evolve throughout the year from that first text exchange? 

Yeah, Coff was really good and was a constant support for me throughout the year. I think one of the big things was that he was really open and genuine in his support and I suppose our friendship grew from there. He’s been there whenever I need him, and the same goes for me to him. He’s been someone who I’ve been able to vent with because he had been through it all the year before. We caught up the day before the draft as well, which was a nice distraction. He’s been someone who I’ve not only been able to distract myself with but also feed off for advice and who I feel really comfortable around.

You found strong religious faith this year which I’ve been told you practice in some interesting ways — at what point did you turn to religion and how do you practice your faith?

I started going to mass at a young age but my family didn’t have a huge interest in it. Obviously my school did but mum and dad couldn’t really care less, same with my brother and sister. For me, it was something that I felt 45 minutes to an hour out of my day on a Sunday wasn’t really that big and so I started attending more frequently in year nine. It’s based on this belief for me that if you have strong roots, there is no reason to fear the wind. For me, going to mass on a Sunday really grounded me. It made me forget about everything for that 45-60 minutes and allowed me to focus on the present and what was happening in that moment. It gives me confidence that whatever is happening to me is happening for a reason and that someone is looking over me. I’m really big on having that faith and knowing that if I do get injured I have to look at the positives — being religious for me really ties into that. It comes back to grounding me and that’s why I go each week. Now that I’ve been drafted I don’t want anything to change about me. I still want to be that grounded person. Religion and faith for me is just something I practice. I wouldn’t call myself a really religious person but I just try and find some things that I can practice in my everyday life which help me.

You spoke briefly about being injured and how your faith assists you with coming to terms with that type of setback. How did that help during your top-age year when you missed a significant amount of football with your achilles injury?

I suppose it was not so much religion helping me there but more my family, the football club in Sandringham and my school, Xavier College. I just had to accept it and control what I could control which was my rehab. If I was lagging in one area then I would focus on another area, like my leadership, and try and take someone under my wing because I was grounded by not being able to play. I’d also try and get the leadership group together before a game to introduce some structure and really test myself in different areas that weren’t physical. I tried to support the boys as best as I could through the finals series, particularly the bottom-age players because we were bottom-age heavy, which will hopefully hold them in good stead for next season. I tried to pump them up as much as I could and fill them with confidence so they have every bit of confidence to take the kick or lay that next tackle.

From what I understand you’re very close to your paternal grandfather and the two of you share a unique relationship. What has that involved? 

I love my grandpa. He has driven me to and from training ever since under-13’s. Every single training he has been there with a mug of soup, my Powerade and some biscuits and cheese for after. He just sits there watching. He’s been with me along my journey and been that constant support as well. Everything he has done has been seriously ridiculous and I’m just so grateful for him. He’s taken me everywhere and his support is so important. We’re always talking on the car ride home. I’ve driven my L’s and got my hours with him — he’s been like my second dad and helped me a lot.

I know that you grew up as a Hawks supporter, but who stands out for you as a mentor whether it be in football or life?

Gary Ablett was always my childhood superstar, I love the way he goes about it and he’s quite religious as well but really it’s any of the top performers. Tom Mitchell is one now that I tried to model myself off. Now that I’m at the Doggies, Easton Wood is a big one that I’ve tried to model myself off too. I love the Bont as well, just his balance. I’ve been surprised about how balanced all the boys are with their standards. Josh Dunkley is also someone I really admire and want to try and follow in his footsteps. Those sorts of boys have showcased to me who I want to be and I look at the way they go about their business in awe.

You implemented the ‘lollipop moments’ leadership style into your captaincy at the Sandringham Dragons last year. What did that involve and how did you display those moments? 

‘Lollipop moments’ are subconscious, daily leadership moments so for me a big thing as captain was trying to learn all of the boys names and make sure that I treated everyone with the same level of respect and attention whether or not they were getting a game because sometimes it could be challenging with so many people coming in and out of our team.

You’re high training standards have been well documented but what made you implement the Navy SEAL ’40 per cent’ rule into your training and life? 

It came about really early in the year. I remember in my first Vic Metro game I was absolutely cooked about halfway through the first quarter and at the start of the second because I’d been running as hard as I could and really wanted to have a crack my first real metro game. So the rule came about that whenever you feel that you’ve hit that point where you can’t do anymore you’ve actually got more in you. Having that mentality during the metro carnival, or any game I played, gave me the confidence to know that I had more in me and my ceiling wasn’t reached for that game. I knew I had more in me and I could give more to the team. It was something that gave me confidence to attack each game knowing that whatever came my way I would have something more in me to give.

By your own standards you admitted to feeling a sense of disappointment in your under-16 carnival. How did you use that disappointment to drive the rest of your football campaign towards being drafted?

I’ve always had really big expectations of myself and when I look back on my under-16’s carnival I think it would be fair to say that it probably wasn’t the best experience. We didn’t really have the big team attitude and it was a bit more individual then so I suppose heading into under-18’s I was really nervous and quite scared about how I was going to fare against the best people in the state. I couldn’t hack it back in under-16’s so I was really nervous heading into the carnival and didn’t know how I was going to go. Even after having a good bottom-age year I still thought that I didn’t really belong here as much. That was a really big thing for me to overcome and it’s a credit to the coaching staff and the Metro environment. When I look back on that experience, and I know some people see it as an individual experience, but I look back on it as a really important team, the coaching staff, the boys, everything reminded me of Sandy or Xavier which helped me get the best footy out of myself.

What does your life away from football look like? 

I’ve just finished year 12 and am interested in going down a Commerce pathway and developing a broader understanding of business so I can see what I like and then focus on my strengths and become the best in that area that I can. I’m really open to where I’m going to go with that side of things.

Away from football I love hanging with my mates and my girlfriend. My two dogs and my family are my life so I love hanging with them every day.

I play a bit of golf with my Grandpa as well. My great grandpa was a professional golfer, so golf runs through the family a bit. It’s been hard to fit in so far because on my days off when the boys from the club are playing I’m normally having a four-hour nap because I’m absolutely buggered.

Thanks for the time to chat Bailey, I appreciate your honesty!

No worries, thanks so much Kavisha.