The Western Bulldogs will demand more than Geelong’s first-round draft pick before they agree to trade uncontracted midfielder Bailey Smith as they brace for an extended negotiation during trade period. Geelong’s first-round pick is now pick 17 after band one compensation was awarded to St Kilda for losing free agent Josh Battle to Hawthorn and the Giants for losing Harry Perryman to Collingwood. It will drift out further to pick 20 or 21 on draft night in November, depending on when bids arrive for opposition players with connections to specific clubs through the AFL’s priority access draft rules.
Wanting a new home: Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith is planning on joining Geelong Credit: AFL Photos Lions father-son prospect Levi Ashcroft , the Suns’ academy graduate Leo Lombard and Essendon’s Next Generation Academy product Isaac Kako are all certain to attract bids before Geelong’s first pick, while the Lions’ academy graduate Sam Marshall may also attract a bid. Although the Bulldogs accept they don’t have access to those four players, a club source who wished to remain anonymous ahead of trade discussions said that having access to the 20th best talent in this year’s national draft was not adequate compensation for Smith, who played 103 games for the Bulldogs after they used pick seven in the 2018 national draft to select him. The 23-year-old Smith ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in December , which forced him to miss this season as he recovere.
