Western Bulldogs player Bailey Smith has been issued a two-game suspension for headbutting Geelong defender Zach Tuohy. It all went down at three-quarter time during Friday night’s match, where The Bulldogs wound up winning by 13 points with a final score of 70-83.
Although Smith was reported immediately by the umpires, it was on Saturday, June 4, when he was officially cited by Michael Christian, the AFL’s match review officer. He deemed the headbutt as intentional conduct, medium impact and high contact.
An AFL statement read: “The incident was classified as a two-match sanction as a first offence. [Smith] can accept a two-match sanction with an early [guilty] plea.”
Meanwhile, Geelong’s Tuohy has been cited for “other misconduct” on Smith. He was offered a $1,00 fine alongside an early guilty plea. He copped a cut to the forehead, and told Fox Footy that he spoke to Smith at the end of the game and that there was “all love at the end”.
He continued: “Emotions were getting the better of both of us. I think I was pulling and dragging at him as much as he was me, so there’s not much in it.”
Watch what went down on Friday night for yourself below:
Bailey Smith has been reported for an incident at three quarter time. #AFLDogsCats pic.twitter.com/lIQ0K0a6Aj
— AFL (@AFL) June 3, 2022
Smith has never been reported before this. He was drafted back in 2018 and has become a very well-known player and AFL personality since.
“It’s just so out of a character for a young man who’s almost the highest-profile player in the competition,” AFL legend Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy. Brisbane Lions champ Jonathan Brown echoed the sentiment, calling Smith’s actions a “brain snap”.