AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says the league’s decision to put Bailey Smith “on notice” for his off-field behaviour came down to the Cats star needing to abide by the same standards as other players.

The AFL last week contacted Geelong with a warning that Smith and the club could face sanctions if his contentious social media behaviour continues.

It followed a line of polarising antics including the star midfielder posting a photo to his Instagram of teammate Max Holmes dressed up as Caroline Wilson with an inappropriate caption.

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While the AFL has previously said it’d let Geelong deal with Smith, Dillon suggested the league felt compelled to step in.

“Ultimately the decision is for the club to handle, but I think that was putting the club and Bailey on notice that if the behaviours went any further, then it might get to a stage where the AFL has to tip in,” he said in Perth on Monday.

“Bailey is a super footballer, he’s great for the game. But there are standards that all of our players and everyone who’s involved in the industry have to adhere to.

“Bailey is a 24-year old, he can make his own decisions. He’s got some great leaders around him at the club who are working with him.”

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Cats coach Chris Scott last week called for calm surrounding Smith, describing the star midfielder’s first 12 months at the club as an “outrageous success.”

And Scott welcomed the league working “collaboratively” with clubs.

“It shouldn’t be a matter of, there’s the head office in charge of enforcement and there’s the clubs involved in dealing with the issues. We should be working collaboratively together and that’s actually been my experience behind the scenes,” Scott said.

“My suspicion is there’s a bit of a disconnect around the perception on some of these issues and how they’re being handled and the actual reality. It’s not that everything’s fine all the time, but it’s certainly not that there’s this explosion of discomfort or unhappiness with each other.

“I think the two parties are pretty closely aligned on where all this stuff is at … far from being concerned that they’ve reached out, I think it’s a real positive thing.

“It’s not as if they’re sitting back in a silo and not helping us. I think it’s the opposite, I think it’s good collaboration.”

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Dillon was also pleased to see West Coast put its assistance package to use and emphasised the importance of giving fans hope after four-straight bottom three finishes.

It including the Eagles using their extra first-round pick to secure dual premiership Lion Brandon Starcevich in a trade.

That ensured West Coast’s free agency compensation for Oscar Allen’s departure — the No. 2 selection — wouldn’t be diluted, meaning the club holds the first two overall picks in next month’s draft.

“They’ve taken that package and they’ve used that. They’ve attracted a high caliber player and they’ve got two early picks in the draft,” Dillon said.

“I think we want as a competition is for all our fans of all of our clubs to have hope. And I think if you sit down at the bottom for too long, fans can lose hope.

“I think what you see now at West Coast is there’s a new regime. (CEO) Don (Pyke) is leading really well with (chair) Elizabeth Gaines and (coach) Andrew McQualter. He had a tough first year but he’s going to be a good coach.

“So they’ll get two high quality players this year or more than two in the draft …. and with Harley Reid as well, they are going to be OK.”