Bailey Smith opens up about real reason behind decision to leave Western Bulldogs

AFL star Bailey Smith has broken his silence about his recent trade request and the reasons he wanted to get away from the Western Bulldogs.

The footballer, 23, officially told the Western Bulldogs club at the start of September that he wants to be traded, with the likes of Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood said to be interested in securing his services next season.

Smith, who starred during the Bulldogs’ run to the 2021 grand final, was forced to sit out the entire 2024 campaign after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at training in December.

Now the midfielder has revealed why he wants to leave.

‘I still love the club, that’s what people forget,’ Smith said at the EJ Whitten Grand Final Legends Lunch.

‘But there’s a level of when you outgrow a place, or you just need a fresh change for whatever reason. I still love them, they’re still my mates. I won’t get too deep into it.

‘I feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice for the player I want to become and the person I want to become by staying in the same environment but we’ll see.’

There are rumours that Bailey will end up at Geelong, but the young gun’s manager said things are still up in the air. 

Smith (pictured) has been letting his hair down in Sydney after recently asking the Western Bulldogs for a trade.

 ‘I could sort of resent all the headlines I’ve had, all the not so good stuff I’ve done, or the pressure that comes with the way you have to look, all that sort of shit, but it’s also made me learn to value less superficial stuff,’ Bailey said.

‘The whole AFL player image stuff and just learn to love the game. I just go for a kick during the week and just learn to love footy at its barest. I kick the footy with my dad and try to fall in love with the game again because I did fall out of love with it for a bit.

‘And it’s taken an injury to really, really love it and miss it again because it can get clouded by everything that’s happening.

‘I’ve probably struggled with it (attention) because first and foremost I love football and that’s what I want to be known for.

Smith officially told the Western Bulldogs club he wants to be traded in early September

‘And people see all the s*** I put out on Instagram and all that stuff, that’s the one thing that does get me up in the morning and makes me tick is the game itself and training.

‘That’s my mission in next 10-12 years is to really leave my legacy … that’s getting a bit too deep … but to be more football oriented than all the stuff that’s been thrown up so far.’

Smith has played 103 AFL games since being drafted by the Bulldogs in 2018.