- Bailey Smith says messages on boots keep him in the present
- Star midfielder is having an outstanding season for Geelong
Geelong star Bailey Smith has opened up about the unique messages he writes on his footy boots before games, offering an insight into the Brownlow Medal favourite’s mindset.
Smith, known for his style on and off the pitch, captured the attention of Channel 7’s Brian Taylor before Sunday’s match against West Coast.
‘This man here, Bailey Smith, he’s talking the talk, but he’s walking the walk to go with it,’ Taylor said as the camera zoomed in to the midfielder’s boots.
‘Have a look at that: ‘spartan’ and ‘take souls’.
‘Take souls’ – I’ve done a bit of investigating – has sort of a loose meaning, but it means you’re so incredible at what you do that it forces other people to respect you, that’s what ‘take souls’ means.
‘That’s a man full of confidence.’
Bailey Smith has been spotted with various handwritten messages on his boots
The Geelong star says the messages he writes help to ‘keep me in the present’
Footy legend Nick Riewoldt chimed in: ‘Oh yeah, absolutely – and he’s backing it up.
‘One of the best players in the competition at the moment.’
Smith was interviewed after the match and explained that he’s been writing on his boots for a while.
‘I just write on them every week, so nothing new,’ he told Seven.
‘Just (to) keep me in the present, keep me in the moment, that’s about it.’
The star midfielder racked up a season-high 38 disposals and Jeremy Cameron kicked four final-quarter goals as Geelong avoided a major boilover in a 43-point win over West Coast at Optus Stadium.
The Cats led by just seven points early in the final quarter of Sunday night’s match, and Eagles forward Noah Long had the chance to close the margin to one point with his 35m set shot.
But Long’s miss proved costly, with Geelong kicking seven of the next eight goals to secure the 17.14 (116) to 11.7 (73) win.
Star midfielder racked up a season-high 38 disposals in Sunday’s match against West Coast
Cameron was restricted to one goal across the first three quarters under the tight attention of Reuben Ginbey, but the star forward exploded late to blow out the margin.
Smith tallied five clearances, one goal and 834m gained to go with his 38 disposals.
He already had 25 disposals to his name by halftime before a tight tag from Brady Hough slowed him somewhat.
Max Holmes (27 disposals, seven clearances) was also influential for Geelong, who improved their season record to 8-4.
‘He just kept getting the ball early,’ Geelong coach Chris Scott said of Smith.
‘I thought he and Holmes were really penetrating.’
