Geelong Cats midfielder Bailey Smith apologises for verbally abusing photographer at training; Shannon Neale comments

Geelong star Bailey Smith has apologised to the photographer he verbally abused at training on Wednesday.

It comes after the News Corp photographer revealed it is not the first time this year he has confronted her.

Smith is said to have sworn at Geelong Advertiser snapper Alison Wynd as she photographed the Cats’ open training session.

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The incident occurred while the 24-year-old was receiving treatment on the bench, after which he approached and confronted Wynd, who was taking photos from the grandstand with a long lens.

When Wynd stated she was simply doing her job, Smith reportedly replied that she was “doing a f—ing shit job.”

He is also said to have confronted her a second time, demanding she delete the photos.

Wynd later spoke to The Age about the incident.

“I just thought it was a completely unwarranted reaction to the situation,” Wynd said.

“Prior to that, I photographed Mitch Duncan on the same massage table getting worked on. Bailey got on the table, I photographed him and then he said it was a breach of his privacy, that I was trying to bait him, which is incorrect.

“It wasn’t as if I was photographing him with his girlfriend. It was an open media training session.

“Previously, when Bailey was leaving the pitch, he said, ‘Did you get enough f—ing photos yet?’, to me while I was photographing.”

Smith has now messaged Wynd, expressing remorse for his outburst and hoping they can move on from it.

Wynd thanked him for the apology and the admission that his actions were inappropriate.

News Corp, which owns The Geelong Advertiser, published a photo of Smith flipping the “bird” at the photographer.

Media had been invited to the training session to film parts of the team’s finals preparation.

After the session, teammate Shannon Neale was tasked with speaking to media and was forced to address the midfielder’s training outburst.

Before praising the “good energy” Smith has brought to the team, Neale emphasised the importance of mutual “respect” with the media.

Neale did not wish to comment on Smith’s actions because he did not witness the incident.

But he did declare that interaction with the media should be built on a foundation of mutual respect.

“I don’t speak for anyone else here but taking my own mindset, and when I come in here [to speak to media], I think if I respect you guys, I’ll get the respect back and vice versa,” he said.

“I think that’s the relationship we should have in the workplace. If you guys respect me, I’ll respect you. I don’t know what happened, but I don’t want to justify either way.”

Smith has been involved in several off-field incidents and controversies this season, resulting in sanctions and public warnings.

The 24-year-old has been fined by the AFL for two separate instances of making an obscene gesture to supporters.

Additionally, this is his second verbal altercation with a photographer since joining the Cats.

Despite this, Neale praised Smith’s positive influence and performance for the team.

“He brings such a good energy, and such a different energy than what we had last year,” he said.

“I think he’s really relishing the environment and the culture of the club, allowing him to be him. I think that’s the exciting thing about him — when he’s doing things that he likes, obviously, he’s got that great property down in Bellbrae, and I think he really enjoys the space and being out of the hustle and bustle, and it shows on-field.

“He’s performing really well … he’s had a great year and … he’s going to be a big part for us [in the finals].”

The Cats were likely not expecting to make headlines this week as they prepare for next week’s preliminary final, awaiting the winner of Adelaide versus Hawthorn on Friday night.