3 hours ago
2
Geelong star Bailey Smith will be accompanied by his jiu-jitsu coach to the Brownlow Medal award ceremony on Monday night, where he is expected to finish in the top three.
Smith revealed that his jiu-jitsu coach would be his plus-one in a wide-ranging interview on KISS FM on Monday morning, dousing speculation he would take fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow.
Bailey Smith celebrates a goal in the preliminary final. Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“I’m taking my jiu-jitsu coach, he’s a good man, he’s one of my best mates,” Smith told The Kyle and Jackie O Show. ”And he’ll be blind all night; he’s having a big one.”
Smith and Hembrow were thought to have been dating after being pictured romantically out to dinner together and sharing a subtle photo together on social media.
But, speaking publicly about the rumours for the first time, the 24-year-old said they were “just mates”, and that he’d been single for the past 18 months.
“I didn’t want to bore her with footy all night,” Smith said. “She’s not a big footy fan, and we are just mates.”
Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow had been speculated to be dating Smith. But he insists they’re “just mates”. Credit: Oscar Colman
He later said he’d approached the Gold Coast-based influencer by messaging her on social media.
Smith has attracted controversy at times on and off the field. This included being fined $1000 for giving an AFL fan the middle finger, which he told KISS FM “was a bit stiff”.
Smith also verbally abused a photographer from the Geelong Advertiser after she took photos of him receiving treatment at the Cats’ training session, before he apologised to her by text message.
In August, Smith opened up on the mental health challenges he faced in 2024, revealing he’d spent several weeks in a psychiatric facility, a moment which drew widespread support from the footballing world.
His on-field excellence has been a driving force of Geelong’s first grand final appearance since 2022.
He is widely expected to poll a large tally of votes in the Brownlow Medal, following a stellar first season for Geelong after leaving the Western Bulldogs at the end of last year.
Loading
But Smith thinks Collingwood star Nick Daicos will win the medal on Monday night.
“I missed three games,” he said. “I was injured and then I was crook for one, one I couldn’t be bothered.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
