Bailey Smith explains real reason behind move away from Western Bulldogs

AFL superstar Bailey Smith has broken his silence about his pending move away from the Western Bulldogs.

Smith, 23, has told the club he wants out and it is widely expected he will land at Geelong.

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Now he has finally explained why he is leaving.

“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.”

Smith is famous for his huge Instagram following but has a love-hate relationship with the media.

He recently made headlines when he was spotted sitting among Geelong players while watching the preliminary final, and an interesting social media post also whipped up some headlines during the week.

“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,’’ he 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.

“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’s manager Paul Connors was also at the lunch, but refused to say Smith would end up at Geelong.

“Amazingly we’re still working through that,” he said.

Bulldogs board member and departing Seven commentator Luke Darcy said it was shattering to see Smith leave.

“It’s heartbreaking, it is because there’s a lot of love for Bailey,’’ Darcy said.

“When you see Bailey come into the room and he’s got so much respect and love.

“We understand the way the system works … the AFL want players to move.

“If I was doing the deal, (it would be) Jeremy Cameron and two first round picks (for Smith),” Darcy joked.

“But he is a young superstar, the most marketable player in the game.”