It might sound strange when referencing one of the game's best players, but Bailey Smith's start to the 2026 season has almost gone under appreciated externally and his sheer brilliance has been telling in Geelong's strong form.

Last year in his first season at the Cattery, Smith took the footballing world by storm in a sensational campaign where he shared the top honour in the AFLCA's Champion Player of the Year Award, while also finishing third in the Brownlow Medal.

Statistically, his year was simply outstanding as he averaged over 31 disposals and nearly six clearances per game, collecting 30 disposals or more on 14 occasions across the season. 

But you only need to cast your eye over the AFL's stats pages to understand just how dominant Smith has been so far in 2026, leading the Cats to four wins in their last five games. 

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Bailey Smith Highlights | Round 5 vs West Coast

Bailey Smith had a dominant game against the Eagles with a whopping 15 inside 50's and 7 clearances from his 34 disposals.

After a quiet start by his lofty standards in Opening Round, Smith has collected over 30 disposals in each of the last five games which includes a season-high 40 possessions against Adelaide. He currently sits second in the AFL for total disposals behind Harry Sheezel, and third for average disposals per game. 

The star on-baller has been able to stamp his authority around stoppages, leading the Cats for total clearances and ranking inside the AFL's top 20 players in that category, while placed 14th in the league for contested possessions. 

He is also able to get dangerous in the forward half, leading the competition for inside 50 entries (8.2 per game) and sitting 11th for goal assists, while ranking 22nd for total score involvements. 

With the amount of the football he finds, efficiency generally comes into question but Smith also ranks in the AFL's top 15 players for effective kicks so far this year. 

If what he is doing offensively was not enough, Smith is also making his presence felt in defence and is able to cover both ends of the ground with his elite work rate. 

He currently ranks 15th in the AFL for tackles and 11th for tackles inside 50, while also averaging more than four intercept possessions per game. 

Smith then uses that to drive plenty of Geelong's ball movement, sitting first in the competition for total metres gained. 

It follows on from a dominant outing against the Western Bulldogs last week and a record-breaking performance at Gather Round, with Geelong's superstar recruit once again firmly establishing himself among the top echelon of players across the competition.