Bailey Smith is known for pushing boundaries on and off the field, but he may have taken it a step too far at the annual AFL Awards on Thursday night.
Smith made a low-key entrance to the ceremony as he arrived solo despite recently dating celebrity fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow, ducking the photo opportunities on the red carpet.
The Geelong star used his All-Australian acceptance speech to open up about his battle with mental health and to advocate for others doing it tough.
‘It was about a year ago, I got out of a psych ward. I was in Epworth Camberwell for like four weeks, and I got out a couple hours a day, and I spent that training,’ Smith told host Mark Howard.
‘I went through a really dark time. I didn’t think I’d get to the other side.
‘I’m super grateful to be here through the support of my family, my manager Robbie [D’Orazio], been there through the shocking times.’
Smith was spotted wearing a pair of beaten-up RM Williams boots during his All Australian acceptance interview
It comes after Smith reportedly arrived to the event wearing a pair of New Balance ‘snoafers’, like the ones reviewed by Seth Fowler
It was a touching speech from the 24-year-old, who wrestled in isolation a severe knee injury and a move away from the Bulldogs where his career began.
But before he opened up about that battle, Smith appeared to be momentarily caught off guard when Howard asked him why he was wearing a beaten-up pair of RM Williams suede boots.
Smith admitted that he had arrived wearing a pair of New Balance ‘snoafers’ but had to change out of them when Geelong CEO Steve Hocking insisted he put on his RMs instead.
New Balance’s ‘snoafers’ are a hybrid of the brand’s 1906R running shoe and a penny loafer, designed by Charlotte Lee.
The 1906L model first appeared on a Junya Watanabe runway and has since gained attention for good and bad reasons.
Internet personality Seth Fowler – who has a following of over 1.2 million people and focuses on sneakers – dubbed the snoafers ‘the weirdest New Balance shoe ever’.
‘Miss me with those, I don’t need those anywhere near me. They seem like a curse,’ he said in his review.
Hocking was obviously also not impressed.
He reportedly ushered Smith aside before the formal proceedings and swapped footwear with him.
Smith also shunned a tie for the awards, which has become an increasingly common trend at formal events
There was no sign of fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow who garnered plenty of attention for getting close with Smith recently
The 2024 All Australian team came under fire after eight players posed for the photo without wearing ties
The dress code for the AFL Awards at Centrepiece was cocktail, which means sneakers are a strict no-no.
However, boundaries have been pushed at events around the world in recent years, with celebrities testing the limits of what they can get away with under the dress code.
Smith was also not wearing a tie when he collected his medal, but he got hold of one for his acceptance interview.
The dress code at the AFL Awards was an issue in 2024 as well, with eight players chosen in the All Australian team rocking up missing a vital piece of formal attire.
Jake Waterman, Jeremy McGovern, Caleb Serong, Luke Ryan, Errol Gulden, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney all posed for the team photo with the All Australian blazer on – but no tie.
‘Wear a f***ing tie,’ one supporter bluntly posted on X.
Another agreed, stating: ‘Staggering, clearly not the same standards as [the] past.’
A third weighed in with: ‘Yeah that’s pretty ordinary. It’s not hard to scrub up collectively for one group photo.’
In another interesting boundary push, All-Australian Captain Marcus Bontempelli’s socks with the Guinness logo on them could also be seen in the team photo.
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko was also singled out for bizarrely choosing to wear white socks with his attire, a major fashion faux pas.
Other fans suggested at the time that the AFL should step in to help players achieve the required dress code.
‘Even the ones with ties have different ones. Weird that they weren’t all given the full uniform. This picture is so strange,’ one fan posted.
‘One would think that the AFL would have supplied matching suits ,ties, socks and shoes for the photo shoot, ffs,’ fumed another.
‘Grown men can’t even dress themselves,’ posted another.
