Bailey Smith may not have trained in the public eye this week, but heโs out on the ground warming up and will line up against his old side at GMHBA Stadium tonight.
Anticipation is high for Smith, who has been one of the Catsโ best players this season, to come up against his former side the Western Bulldogs for the first time. But the midfielder trained indoors on Tuesday, away from the main group.
Bailey Smith comes up against his former Bulldogs teammates tonight.Credit: Getty Images
His absence from the main session was explained as being due to the short turnaround between last Saturdayโs win over Port Adelaide and Thursday nightโs match, and now heโs warming up with his teammates ahead of the first bounce at 7.30.
โIt was mentioned to me that there was some commentary around him not training. He trained, you just didnโt see it,โ coach Chris Scott said.
โWe have a pretty individual program on that day, so yeah he is fine.โ
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While Smith is an elite athlete with the blend of high-end speed and endurance, he did miss the entirety of last season because of a knee reconstruction, so is being carefully managed on short breaks.
Asked how Smith was handling the spotlight that came with such a highly publicised clash, Scott said: โHe doesnโt have any problem with the attention at all.
โI think when players play against their former club, there is a bit of added spice to it. For some players who donโt like that kind of attention, it can be a challenge, but I think for others it is stimulating. Bailey is certainly in that latter category.
โLetโs not take away from the theatre of it, it will be a full house on Thursday night at the Cats.โ
But Geelong will be without superstar Patrick Dangerfield, who is missing with a hamstring injury. Jack Bowes is also out with a hamstring issue, but the Cats will regain defender Tom Stewart, who has been out with a knee injury.
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