Bailey Smith Ruled Out For Geelong's Optus Stadium Trip

bailey smith will miss Geelong's Thursday night clash with Fremantle at Optus Stadium because of illness. Jack Bowes has replaced him in the side, leaving Geelong to face a top-of-the-table home game without one of its key names.

Geelong Lose Smith And Stewart

Smith is not the only absence for Geelong. Tom Stewart will miss a second consecutive game because of concussion, while Gryan Miers is also out after being managed against Gold Coast last week.

Those changes leave Geelong short of several established players for a match that starts at 6.10pm AWST on Thursday night. The timing matters because the Dockers have been named close to full strength at home, which tilts the balance of the contest before the first bounce.

Dockers Restore Serong

Fremantle have brought back Caleb Serong, Brennan Cox and Matt Johnson. Oscar McDonald, Jaeger O'Meara and Corey Wagner have been omitted, while Sean Darcy is set to spend another week in the WAFL as he continues his comeback from injury.

That leaves Fremantle with more selection continuity than Geelong, and a cleaner look heading into Optus Stadium. Geelong's move for Bowes is the immediate answer to Smith's absence, but the broader picture is a Cats side working through multiple changes against a Dockers team getting key pieces back in place.