Bailey Smith says the messages he writes on his boots help “keep me in the present”.

Easily the recruit of the year so far, the superstar Geelong midfielder is now the outright Brownlow Medal favourite after another massive game against West Coast on Sunday night.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bailey Smith’s tiny boots detail.

He amassed 38 disposals, including 25 in the first half, in a best-on-ground performance.

But before any of his heroics against the Eagles caught the eye, it was his boots which were of great fascination to Channel 7’s Brian Taylor.

“This man here, Bailey Smith, he’s talking the talk, but he’s walking the walk to go with it,” Taylor said in the moments before the first bounce, before observing some of what was written on Smith’s boots.

“Have a look at that: ‘spartan’ and ‘take souls’.

“‘Take souls’ — I’ve done a bit of investigating — has sort of a loose meaning, but it means you’re so incredible at what you do that it forces other people to respect you, that’s what ‘take souls’ means.

“That’s a man full of confidence.”

Nick Riewoldt added: “Oh yeah, absolutely — and he’s backing it up.

“One of the best players in the competition at the moment.”

Amongst the several other messages written on his boots was ‘IWD4I’.

Speaking to Seven after the game, Smith said he does it every week.

“I just write on them every week, so nothing new,” he said.

“Just (to) keep me in the present, keep me in the moment, that’s about it.”

Eagles coach Andrew McQualter put the clamps on Smith after his devastating first half, sending Brady Hough to him to try to quell his influence.

“I enjoy that sort of stuff, just trying to add another string to my bow, running through a tag,” Smith said of the attention he got from Hough.

“But they’re a good side, so we didn’t think they were just going to roll over.

“I think across the competition, you’ve got to show up and rock up to play each week, because you never know what you’re going to get, so we’re just expecting every team’s best, and hopefully we can just finish off the year well.”

Smith also poured cold water over concerns around his hamstring, which he was seen reaching for in the last quarter, appearing to be in some discomfort. He said it was nothing more than a cramp — the first he’s had in his career.