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Join our Fantasy SRP leagueBetter educated: Why Geelong CEO backs Cats to get the best out of Smith
Nicholas Quinlan • February 14th, 2026 4:02 pm
Geelong CEO Steve Hocking has spoken about how the club has approached their handling of Bailey Smith.
In his first year at Geelong, Smith became a constant talking point for a myriad of reasons.
Having come back from a ruptured ACL alongside a voluntary stint in a psychiatric facility before joining the side in 2025, the midfielder was a standout performer for the Cats as they made the Grand Final before losing to the Lions.
But despite his on-field form, there have been plenty of off-field distractions that have created plenty of headlines.
Whether it was flipping the bird to Adelaide Crows fans, verbally abusing a female photographer during training or posting a photo with teammate Patrick Dangerfield to his Instagram story during the club’s Mad Monday, which was considered homophobic, there have been plenty of questions raised around his conduct.
With all these different issues, many have wondered whether Geelong’s approach to supporting the 25-year-old through his mental health struggles.
And while Hocking articulated that they are still getting to grips with how to best manage him, he acknowledges that the club’s history would suggest he is in good hands.
“It’s something that comes up regularly just around Bailey,” Hocking noted on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“The important thing to share is we don’t know him yet. We’re five minutes in with him, so we’ve had one season.
“He’s been at the Bulldogs prior to that, so we’ve got to take the time to understand how to manage any player that comes in.
“We’re better armed (and) we’re better educated as Bailey is as well. He’ll understand what our standards are.
“We definitely publicly like to support our players, not just Bailey. But internally, there is definitely conversations that go on.
“And if you look at our history over a long period of time, we’ve been good at managing our people, and it will be no different for Bailey.”
The Cats will play their first official pre-season match against Carlton on February 25 at Ikon Park.
That will then be followed by their first match of the 2026 season against the Gold Coast Suns on March 6 at Peoples First Stadium.
