SOPHIE GANNON: Bailey Smith needs to stop adding to Geelong’s growing list of damning AFL headlines

Bailey, please put the phone away.

I know it’s hard, you want to let us know what you are up to and who you are hanging with, but letting the world know you and Charlie Curnow are running around the park together is probably not the help the Cats recruitment team need right now.

The Blues are unlikely to see the funny side of it, as most of the footy world did not over your recent Mad Monday antics.

It’s been a week from hell for the Geelong Football Club and your inability to step out of the limelight is not making it any better.

A 47-point thrashing in the grand final was brutal enough, and now the club has been fined for failing to correctly disclose third-party payments.

At this point, Geelong’s fans aren’t the only ones who need a break — Bailey, we are looking at you.

The Cats are getting sick of having to justify your behaviour, with CEO Steve Hocking saying today he didn’t really “understand” how you roll but there would be some “reflection” over the summer.

That’s code for “we have had enough and did not want you to bring the circus that surrounded you at the Western Bulldogs here, as we are about winning flags not winning followers”.

There’s no doubt you’ve earnt an extra dose of patience from the club given your outstanding performances this year, averaging 31 disposals, five tackles, and 4.8 marks, but it feels to me as though the club really didn’t need another damning headline after a grand final performance to forget.

This should be a serious wake-up call. The Cats took a gamble on you and showed faith when most others wouldn’t. That faith now needs to be repaid away from the headlines.

Geelong didn’t take you on to protect you from yourself, they took you on to play great football. Which you have proven to do most of the year, earning the hearts of the Cats’ fans.

Let’s be honest, your grand final performance was far from inspiring.

The same player who just racked up 29 Brownlow votes this year, was nowhere near it on the big day, crumbling under Brisbane’s midfield pressure.

Bailey, you need to keep your head down, lay low and let the battery on your phone run out. Not just for your own sake, but the sake of the club and their fans.

While most clubs’ Mad Monday antics were taken in good humour, Geelong’s celebrations drew heavy scrutiny, which was largely due to a series of your controversial Instagram stories.

Mitch Brown, the AFL’s first openly bisexual player, called you a “homophobic loser” following your post with Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield during the post-season celebrations which referenced the film Brokeback Mountain.

“Last time I checked, losing a grand final doesn’t make you gay, but being homophobic definitely makes you a loser,” Brown’s post said.

Then posting a photo of the late Heath Ledger flipping the bird in response, came across as a bit lame.

The more you bite back at your critics, the longer it draws out and the more unwanted attention you bring to Geelong.

The headlines have been written so move on and get better for next year on the field and stop worrying about what is going on off it.