Star Bulldog Bailey Smith has been ruled out of Thursday night's clash against the Swans, with the ball-winner reportedly struck down with an illness.
Smith first raised symptoms ahead of the Dogs' training session on Tuesday, claiming he had been displaying symptoms of illness.
The club has released a statement on Smith's condition expecting him to return to training after a few days' rest.
โThe 22-year-old presented to the club yesterday for a main session but wasn't well enough to participate, and subsequently won't make the trip to Sydney today,โ the Bulldogs said in a statement.
โThe club anticipates that Bailey will return to training in the coming days.โ
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge came to the defense of his star player saying that he had been battling sickness in recent games that are likely to be the cause of his down performances.
"Post-game he was sick," Beveridge said
"He wasn't in early in the week because he's been ill.
"He was ill leading into the game, so he wasn't feeling his best, but he wanted to play."
The 22-year-old is averaging 24.4 disposals per game, 3.9 clearances with three goals in 2023.
