WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has playfully suggested it has taken their trip to Kardinia Park for Geelong’s home ground to be filled.
Thursday night’s showdown at GMHBA Stadium is one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season, as Bailey Smith fronts up against his former Bulldogs teammates for the first time.
Smith’s departure from Whitten Oval at the end of last season was far from smooth, but the tension went up a notch when the star midfielder took aim at the Bulldogs’ second home ground.
“Beautiful mate. Not getting that at Ballarat,” Smith said when asked this month how it felt winning in front of a big crowd at the MCG.
Beveridge has been asked about Smith in almost every press conference since those infamous remarks.
On Wednesday, the 2016 premiership coach almost stopped himself, before going back at the Cats’ crowd numbers.
“It’s taken the Bulldogs to go down there for them to almost pack out their stadium,” Beveridge said with a grin.
“I don’t know what that means for ‘Baz’ (Smith) … I know what the headline is going to be now.”
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and Bailey Smith leave Marvel Stadium after defeating North Melbourne in R5, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos
Smith has been in spectacular form, recently being installed as the second favourite for the Brownlow Medal, only behind Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos.
Adding extra drama into the mix, the cult hero trained away from the main group on Tuesday, sparking queries over his fitness.
Geelong coach Chris Scott rubbished suggestions Smith could dodge the hyped meeting with the Bulldogs.
“For some players who don’t like that kind of attention, it can be a challenge, but I think for others it’s stimulating, and Bailey’s certainly in that latter category,” Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’ve got no intention of deflating the hype, but my sense is that there’s a lot of goodwill from both sides.
“I’m pretty confident, in the small amount of time I’ve spent with him, that the hype and the combativeness is something that energises him.
“We do encourage our players to be themselves, and I’m more than happy for Bailey to take the limelight away from us.”
“The emotional part of it’s got to do with us and our journey and what we can achieve,” Beveridge said.
“The key individuals in the Geelong team obviously transcend just Bailey.
“We don’t go out of our way to antagonise and get under anyone’s skin unnecessarily.
“There’s obviously a combative aspect, and there’s a verbal aspect of the game that exists every week, no matter who you play.
