“There will be a time, in my view, and this will involve all of us over the off-season whereby we need to,” Hocking said. “We are really early in the relationship.”
Smith had a brilliant first season on the field, making the All-Australian team, winning the AFL Coaches’ Association award, finishing second in the club’s best and fairest and third in the Brownlow Medal as the Cats made the grand final.
The Cats have been working hard behind the scenes to improve Smith’s off-field behaviour but have been careful to not criticise him publicly.
Geelong player Bailey Smith with AFL chief Andrew Dillon at the Brownlow Medal count.Credit: AFL Photos
He has been accepted into the playing group and has connected with fans but the slip-ups have made headlines and disappointed people both inside and outside the club.
Geelong coach Chris Scott has long railed against the effectiveness of club or AFL-imposed suspensions or fines in changing off-field behaviour.
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The AFL and Geelong were contacted for comment.
The revelation comes after new GWS recruit and former Demon Clayton Oliver took a swipe at Nine journalist Tom Morris on social media, following comments Morris made on the network’s Footy Furnace program that referenced Oliver’s character, in discussing his trade from Melbourne.
Meanwhile, the Cats have made the difficult decision to not offer premiership midfielder, All-Australian and dual best and fairest winner Cam Guthrie a contract for 2026 after injury stopped him from making an AFL appearance this season.
Guthrie was a star for the Cats and a key player in their 2022 premiership, when he was joint best and fairest winner. But ankle and Achilles issues have restricted him to just 10 AFL games in three seasons since that flag.
Guthrie made his debut in Scott’s first game as coach and played 240 games, beginning as a defender and developing into an ultra-reliable midfielder.
He was instrumental in Mark Blicavs arriving at the club and his brother Zach developing into an excellent defender. Both played alongside him in the 2022 premiership.
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