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AFL 2025

Opinion

Caroline Wilson Football columnist for The Age October 4, 2025 — 5.30am

Geelong’s season-long ticking time bomb that has been Bailey Smith finally exploded last Monday for all to see and the fallout is far from finished.

The collateral damage has spread from Patrick Dangerfield, the captain who has worked since late last year to nurture Smith’s talent and protect him from himself, the 2025 club champion Max Holmes, the coach Chris Scott who had again found excuses for him after he abused photographer Alison Wynd and the Cats chief Steve Hocking who has remained silent since the Mad Monday disaster.

The so-called rock-solid culture at Kardinia Park, long respected and with few peers since Frank Costa and Brian Cook led the club out of the wilderness,

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