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Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith is about to overlook your complete 2024 AFL season after sustaining a severe knee damage at coaching.
Key factors:
Scans confirmed Bailey Smith had injured his ACL after an incident at coaching on WednesdaySmith is out of contract after 2024 with a lot hypothesis surrounding his futureFremantle ruck Sean Darcy penned a recent six-year contract with the Dockers, fending off curiosity from rival golf equipment
The 23-year-old midfielder was harm halfway by means of a coaching session on Wednesday, with scans confirming harm to an anterior cruciate ligament.
“We’re all extraordinarily disenchanted for Bailey and empathise with him enormously,” Bulldogs soccer director Chris Grant mentioned.
“The whole membership will rally round him throughout this tough time as he begins his rehab journey.”
Smith is out of contract on the finish of 2024 and has been the topic of hypothesis a couple of transfer away from the Bulldogs.
Hawthorn and Geelong have been most strongly linked to the midfielder, who endured a troublesome run of kind halfway by means of 2023.
It sparked fierce exterior criticism and a powerful defence from Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
Smith had struggled to interrupt right into a star-studded midfield boasting prolific ball-winners Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar and Jack Macrae.
Smith just lately linked up with Collingwood star Nick Daicos in america and is without doubt one of the most marketable figures within the AFL, boasting an Instagram following of greater than 340,000.
He has a powerful connection to youthful followers, having beforehand spoken about his psychological well being battles within the highlight.
Darcy commits long-term to Freo
In the meantime in WA, Fremantle have fought off sturdy curiosity in Sean Darcy from rival AFL golf equipment, signing the ruck star to a six-year contract extension.
Victorian product Darcy had been within the sights of golf equipment in his dwelling state, most notably Geelong, and would have been a free agent on the finish of subsequent 12 months.
However the 25-year-old has dedicated his long-term future to the Dockers with a deal that runs by means of till the top of 2030.
Fremantle missed the finals final season — a poor outcome contemplating their semi-final look a 12 months earlier — however Darcy is worked up by the membership’s future.
“We simply have to get caught into it and I can not await the season to begin,” he mentioned.
“I’ve bought full perception in our workforce, our checklist and what we’re constructing and the whole lot going ahead.
“We had a little bit of a disappointing 12 months final season and we’re not shying away from it.
“Everyone seems to be on board that we should be higher, we have to enhance and we have to enhance rapidly.
“We’re making an attempt to get the perfect out of one another and we’re working laborious each day to push one another, so it is actually thrilling.”
AAP
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