“I think he showed them the way with his work ethic over the summer months,” Stewart said.
Smith’s hard running made him and Holmes a formidable midfield combination.
His rock-star status gave Geelong a different profile as he refused to be bound by convention in his own time.
Stewart got to know his new teammate well enough to not be shocked by the publicity he attracted or what came out of his mouth for the public utterances he saved for the broadcaster.
“It’s surprised me, but it didn’t at the same time. From the outside looking in, I didn’t pay close attention when he wasn’t at the club of, you know, the things he was up to. But he’s a boisterous personality,” Stewart said.
“He’s everything you see, and he puts it all out there, which I have a massive amount of respect for.”
Smith and Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson at last week’s AFL awards night, where they shared the champion player award, voted on by club coaches.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
But respect inside football clubs is often won in finals, and Smith proved at his former club he is a finals performer, with an electrifying 2021 finals series that made him one of the game’s emerging superstars.
Smith has played finals in Launceston, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane but never in Victoria, let alone one at the MCG on a Friday night in front of close to 100,000 spectators. And this time he will play a lead role alongside experienced campaigners, such as Stewart and Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield, who is about to play his 29th final.
Twelve months have passed since Smith realised he needed to work on his mental health as much as his physical health. The quality of his football was recognised last week with All-Australian selection and the title of AFL Coaches Association champion player – shared with Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson – reflecting the hard work he has put in at his new club and the support he has received from teammates.
Stewart said Smith’s willingness to publicly talk about last year’s experience shows how far he has come since then.
“He’s had a fair bit to work through personally, and I don’t think [what he outlined] is a reflection of where he’s at now. I think the open honesty that he sort of showed was in the past,” Stewart said. “He’s put a lot of work into that space, and it’s no mistake his form on the field [has been excellent]. He came down here with this insatiable appetite to work.”
Now he is chasing the big one, a premiership, alongside Stewart on Friday night as the Cats play the Brisbane Lions for a spot in the preliminary final. Stewart, who has also worked his way back into outstanding form as the season progressed, will know, he jokes, when his eclectic teammate is switched on.
“He headbutts the wall. That’s when I know he is about to go. It’s a pretty good sign when you hear a couple of bangs against the glass, you think, ‘Yep, Baz is ready to play’,” Stewart said.
Smith has got the hair for headbanging. And he’s got teammates who have his back. It’s a good combination as the club attempts to win a second flag in four seasons.
Dillon defends Snoop Dogg’s grand final appearance
AAP
As the AFL greats are announced to present premiership medallions, the grand final entertainment remains a talking point.
Snoop Dogg will do a “great job” as the headline act for the grand final entertainment, with the AFL unmoved by the controversy around him.
The reaction to the choice of the American rapper has been largely negative, but AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is adamant about the decision.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, former Tiger Jack Riewoldt, former Bomber Ken Fraser and Toyota’s Anthony Nobile.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“What I’m looking forward to over the next four weeks is the most important nine games of the year,” Dillon told journalists on Monday.
“Then we’ll get to the last Saturday in September and we’ll have the two best teams there.
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“The grand final entertainment will add to what will be an amazing spectacle … it will be at a level that we haven’t seen for a long time, he’ll do a great job.”
Dillon was also asked about last weekend’s pre-finals bye, with some discussion that it should be moved to the weekend before the grand final.
“It’s really served the game well. It allows the teams who are in the eight to really set themselves,” he said.
“I’m comfortable with where it is at the moment.
“We’re always looking at the structure of our season – obviously we’ll look at it.
“But … it does open up the final eight to be a true final eight, so any team who has made it, has the opportunity if things go their way, to make it to the last Saturday in September.”
Another idea is a pre-finals wildcard round and Dillon acknowledged it has some merit.
“It would have added a lot to the season, but we just need to hasten slowly. I’m not ruling it in or out,” he said.
Dillon was speaking at the launch of the AFL finals series, which opens on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval when the Crows host Collingwood.
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There will be plenty of feeling, especially given Adelaide star Izak Rankine is banned for four games after a homophobic slur against a Magpies opponent. Dillon would not be drawn on whether there will be extra crowd security at the game.
“There will be a lot of passion in the crowd, but we have the best fans in the world,” he said.
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge will present the Norm Smith Medal to the player voted best afield in the grand final.
West Coast’s 2018 premiership coach Adam Simpson will present the Jock McHale Medal to the winning coach, while Essendon’s Ken Fraser will have the duties with the Ron Barassi Medal for the winning captain. Retired Richmond star Jack Riewoldt is the premiership cup ambassador.
‘He’ll be at Carlton’: Voss says Blues won’t listen to offers for Curnow
Jon Pierik
Carlton coach Michael Voss has declared that star forward Charlie Curnow will be staying at the club in 2026, saying the Blues will not even listen to any offers for the star forward.
Not going anywhere: Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow.Credit: Getty Images
Curnow told the Blues in last week’s exit meeting he was open to the possibility of leaving the club, despite having four years to run on a lucrative contract that expires after the 2029 season.
The match-winning forward had a difficult 2025 season, impacted by injury and the Blues’ poor form, as the club missed finals after two seasons back in September.
Voss told SEN on Monday that the Blues would not even listen to any offers for a man critical to the Blues’ hopes of emerging from what the coach said was a “reset” after a tough year that has culminated in major change in the football department and playing list.
“No,” Voss said when asked about listening to potential offers.
“Our position is pretty clear. It’s been stated – I don’t even know publicly whether we’ve said anything – but he’ll be at Carlton in 2026.
“Those discussions – if there are any others – we’ll continue to have behind closed doors. He’s a two-time Coleman medallist, it could have been three, who has four years to run on a contract. We feel like he’s an incredibly important person to us.
“He’ll figure for us moving forward and, hopefully, he’s playing out the rest of his career here.”
But he confirmed Curnow had raised the possibility of a fresh start elsewhere.
“‘Open’ was more the language used,” Voss said.
Double act: Ken Hinkley and Michael Voss could yet re-unite at Carlton next season.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously, from our position it was pretty clear, so we don’t feel like we’re in that position to want to go down that path.
“That position was well and truly communicated back to him and then from that point on we moved on to other topics, and talked about his year and how we can make him better and get back to that striking form he had only 12 months ago.”
Curnow, the Blues’ co-vice-captain, battled a series of injuries this season, including two pre-season surgeries on his ankle and knee, and another surgery on his knee late in the year which shut down his campaign with four games remaining.
A dual Coleman Medal winner, Curnow was restricted to 32 goals. He has been linked to Geelong, Gold Coast and Sydney – if he were to move.
“I don’t think it’s worthy of going into detail outside of that we’ve had a tough year, and he’s had a challenging year,” Voss said.
“If you look at the year he’s had, we can sort of wash over it pretty quick and just look at what happened towards the end. He’s obviously had three surgeries over the course of this year, the first one happening in round 17 last year, had ankle surgery and couldn’t get going pre-Christmas.
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“Then he had to have his knee [surgery] and that restricted his post-Christmas period as well. Came back on some good prep, not great prep … and he ended up playing 18 games but, obviously, never hit the highs that we would have loved.
“In some ways, he was starting to get going, and then he got hurt again. It’s just been a tough year, and we’ve all felt that. We’re all pretty determined to change that.”
Voss said forward Elijah Hollands, 23, had been told to explore his options elsewhere, but he could yet return to the Blues as he is contracted for next season. Voss said the Blues were disappointed after the former Sun and brother of fellow Blue Ollie had enjoyed a strong 2024 season.
The Blues are searching for a new football department boss to replace Brad Lloyd, and have expressed interest in respected Port Adelaide boss Chris Davies.
Voss said the Blues would be keen to have former Power coach Ken Hinkley come on board in a senior football department role. Hinkley has been a long-time mentor for Voss – the pair having worked together at Alberton – but Hinkley may opt to have a break from football in 2026.
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