Days after the Western Bullldogs’ season ended, injured midfielder Bailey Smith has officially told the club he wants to be traded.
Smith, who starred during the Dogs’ run to the 2021 grand final, was forced to sit out this entire season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at training in December.
The 23-year-old’s future has been a talking point all season, with it becoming clearer the longer the season went on he wanted out of the Whitten Oval.
As the Bulldogs began exit meetings on Monday following Friday night’s elimination final defeat to Hawthorn, the club confirmed via a three-line statement that Smith had asked to be traded.
The Bulldogs insisted Smith had not nominated his club of preference, but it is expected he will seek to move to Geelong.
“Given Bailey’s immense talent, age and proven ability to influence games, the club will work diligently to ensure it is fairly compensated throughout the process,” the Bulldogs said.
Smith has played 103 AFL games since being drafted by the Bulldogs in 2018.
On Sunday, Smith posted a video to his 329,000 Instagram followers of him training at the Bulldogs’ headquarters.
The Cats have long appeared to be a logical destination for Smith due to the mutual sponsorship links with clothing juggernaut Cotton On.
