Melbourne great Garry Lyon has called on Bailey Smith to “be better” after the Cats superstar was captured in an expletive-laden tirade towards a photographer on Wednesday afternoon.

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The incident took place in an open-to-media session ahead of Geelong’s preliminary final in a fortnight’s time, with the 24-year-old reportedly accusing the photographer — News Corp’s Alison Wynd — of trying to bait him and telling her she was “doing a f***ing s*** job”.

Smith was receiving treatment to his back and hip at the time and is said to have thought it was a “private moment”, asking Wynd to delete the photos.

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Wynd said she was taking photos of Mitch Duncan on the same massage table before Smith appeared for treatment and took issue with her actions.

But instead it is Smith who has come under scrutiny, with The Herald Sun’s Lauren Wood reporting on Midweek Tackle that Cats CEO Steve Hocking called Wynd on Wednesday night to apologise.

Smith, however, is not believed to have apologised for his actions yet.

Speaking on AFL 360, Lyon labelled Smith’s tirade “really disappointing” and “unacceptable”.

“It’s not good enough and it shouldn’t be indulged,” he said, before delivering a pointed message to the Cats superstar.

“You can’t have it both ways Bailey… you ask for understanding, you bravely bare your soul and then you undo all your good work by belittling a photographer who is just trying to do her job. Just be better. Be a better man than that.

“I think the footy world has tried to understand and accept that no-one is perfect and you’ve got your shortcomings, as we all have. But there’s been way better players than you mate that have had to put up with more than that and been able to do it with a degree of class.

“We respect you, pay it back. That’s just not on.”

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Wood, who was in attendance at the Geelong session, said Wynd later told her she had “never quite been as rattled” as he was on Wednesday in her 25 years working as a photographer.

Smith also took aim at the media when walking off the ground at a Geelong training session last month.

Gerard Whateley pointed out on AFL 360 that Smith’s frustration towards photographers in particular may be a product of having his private life often made public, as was the case when a paparazzi snapped pictures of him with influencer Tammy Hembrow on the Gold Coast.

Although Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph reported on Midweek Tackle that in reference to this specific incident, Smith’s view was he was “in a vulnerable place” and that he “asked quite politely” for the photos to be deleted.

“He doesn’t believe he has anything to apologise for,” Ralph added.

“Geelong asked the media down. It was not a private place. He was sitting on the bench in plain view.”

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While the nature of the incident in itself is concerning, both Ralph and Fox Footy commentator Corbin Middlemas believe it should also have alarm bells ringing for the Cats ahead of their preliminary final.

“The problem for Bailey is that he needs to pull his head in,” Ralph said.

“I think Geelong is fully aware of it. I’m not sure whether they’re prepared to enforce it. Is it the right thing for him leading into a final game next week? No, it’s ridiculous.

“He’s dragged himself into a situation that is just so needless again.”

“It’s a worry if he’s on that much of a hair trigger that if something goes the way that he doesn’t want it to that that’s the kind of reaction that we get from him, so I would be concerned if I asked the Cats on the back of that,” added Middlemas.