Shoulder pain or a broken heart: The mystery of Bailey Smith’s Brownlow sideshow

The late arrival, the wild hair, the garish mushroom/gold suit and the on-camera eye-rolls helped Geelong star Bailey Smith secure the award for biggest sideshow on Brownlow night.

The Cats midfielder was notably absent towards the end of the night as he racked up best-on-grounds and stormed home to finish second in the actual medal count, with the broadcast cameras forced to resort to wide shots of the room to avoid Smith’s empty seat.

His curtailed presence on football’s night of nights had begun hours earlier when the typically nonchalant Smith rocked up to Crown 2½ hours late wearing a tracksuit.

Smith did perhaps the quickest change in Brownlow history, throwing on his unique interpretation of black tie, which would have looked more at home in a ’70s flick, in what appeared in a social media clip to be a function room on the same level as the Crown Palladium ballroom where the medal count was taking place.

All eyes were watching the quirky Cat when he appeared at his table and, frankly, he was impossible to ignore.

Turns out the suit was a vehicle to advertise his ready-to-drink booze brand, Barry, with the lining featuring the brand’s logo – as an ambush-marketing flex, it was not subtle.

A pair of silver, surfer sunnies and a sling to support his recently operated-on right shoulder, were a vibe of their own.

Seated alongside Patrick Dangerfield on the Geelong table, Smith’s look became progressively more casual as the night wore on – his bow tie disappeared, the top buttons of his shirt were undone.

In the room, it was hard to escape the notion that were other places Smith would have preferred to be.

It was widely talked about among guests that he had tried to pull out of attending, and been a little hard to get a hold of, after his reconstructive surgery a little over a week ago for a chronic complaint that he had carried all season.

But another theory for his distraction was said to be a budding romance that had very recently gone south.

We will take that on notice given Smith’s social calendar is a challenge to keep track of, but either way, we hope the off-season is kind to the dynamic player.

If this year’s count is anything to go by, the umpires are a fan of his work, and CBD would love nothing more than to see him collect a Brownlow in the not-too-distant future.

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