Star Bulldog Bailey Smith has broken his silence after rupturing his ACL, stating that he still had a role to play at the Whitten Oval throughout the 2024 season.
Last week, scans revealed that the 23-year-old had sustained the dreaded tear after going down while working through his pre-season program.
The season-ending injury has arisen at a crucial juncture for Smith, with the former top-ten pick set to come out of contract at the cessation of the season, with rival clubs said to have already expressed interest in the ultra-marketable star.
Speaking at the Whitten Oval on Monday, Smith pressed that he was not currently in the right mindset to put pent to paper anywhere, expressing that his rehabilitation process was his prime concern.
“It's obviously frustrating, but there's problems and then there's real world problems, so you put it into perspective as well as you can and get on with things,” Smith told 7 News.
“Once I get training and stuff, that's when we'll start to properly put the mind to it (my contract).
“Right now I'm just going through the motions with the knee and just trying to get in a good headspace and a good space.”
While Smith won't be out on the track with his teammates for the lion's share of next season, the fan-favourite claimed that he hoped to play the role of motivator on Barkly Street.
“As long as I still train, I don't mind. Hopefully, I can inspire a few of the boys when they see me in a full sweat each day, hopefully, that can spur them on a bit, that's sort of my motivation, is to try and have a positive impact on others,” the midfielder said.
“It's only a small part not being able to run out on weekends so as much support as I can be for the group is sort of the goal.”
Smith also revealed that the setback had done plenty to motivate him, pressing that he wouldn't be imbibing during his time off the field.
“Do my rehab as well as I can and do all the right things and be good on New years, no drinking etc ... just be a good boy and look after it, because I'm really motivated to come back bigger and better,” he added.
The remainder of Luke Beveridge's list will do battle against Hawthorn twice over the course of the pre-season before facing contemporary rivals Melbourne at the MCG in Round 1.