‘Less people to flip the bird to’: Dogs skipper returns serve to Cat’s cheeky live TV dig at former club

“He couldn’t help himself, could he?”

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No he couldn’t, Anthony Hudson.

Geelong superstar Bailey Smith couldn’t resist the chance to take a cheeky dig at former club Western Bulldogs after the Cats’ thrilling 90-87 win over Collingwood on Saturday.

Fox Footy’s Cameron Mooney ended his post-game interview with Smith by asking how good it was to be playing in front of 82,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to which Smith cheekily replied with a sly grin: “Beautiful mate. Not getting that at Ballarat”.

The Bulldogs, of course, played earlier in the day at Ballarat in front of a crowd of 4,814 as they breezed past Port Adelaide on the way to a 131-41 win.

Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli returned serve on Channel 7’s Sunrise on Sunday morning.

“Very interesting by Bailey. It’s nice to know we’re still on Bailey’s mind and he’s still thinking about us, even at another team,” Bontempelli said.

“In the end, there’s probably a few less people in Ballarat for him to flip the bird to, so maybe that’s why he’s a little bit disappointed.

“But it makes Round 11 even more interesting, which I think we’ll all be looking forward to. Everyone loves a bit of theatre in the game.”

Sorry, when do the Cats and Dogs play again? (Round 11 at GMHBA Stadium).

Smith was moved to Geelong in the final moments of last year’s trade deadline, with the 24-year-old joining the Cats after 103 games for the Dogs, having been drafted by the club with the seventh pick of the 2018 Draft.

Earlier this season Smith received fines in consecutive weeks for pulling his finger to a member of the crowd.

“I’m very grateful to be where I am,” Smith said of the Cats taking him on.

“They’ve welcomed me with open arms, so I’m just forever in debt to this club. So I’ll keep working my arse off to repay them.

“I’m doing what I love doing – and that’s competing, regardless if we win lose or draw.”

Late umpire drama dominates thriller | 09:30

Smith spoke to Mooney minutes after the final siren, with several controversial calls going the Cats’ way late in the game.

One of those included Shaun Mannagh being awarded a free kick for being tripped by Bobby Hill, who many thought had just produced a rundown tackle for the ages.

“Yeah I reckon you put the whistle away there. Lucky to be on that side of the whistle,” Smith said of Hill’s tackle.

Insane final moment of all-time thriller | 01:45

“But yeah that rundown tackle, the touched – I dunno. You take it, I guess. Sometimes it goes against you, so yeah lucky but we came hard in the last.

“Crisp, I thought he was going to have the fairytale ending and my heart was in my mouth, so scared. But thank God we got through.”

Smith said he thought the Pies were in control for most of the early part of the game, but added the game flipped when his side was able to get deeper forward entries, as well as guarding the corridor.

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