Bailey Smith explains middle finger salute at fan after Geelong Cats' AFL Gather Round win over Adelaide Crows

Geelong star Bailey Smith awaits a fine from the AFL after he was caught flipping both his middle fingers at an Adelaide supporter after his side's come-from-behind win over the Crows.

Smith starred for the Cats to kick off Gather Round at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, tallying a game-high 35 disposals, six clearances and one goal in an influential display.

But some of the shine was taken off the 24-year-old's performance when video footage caught him giving a double-fingered salute to a fan as the Cats walked down the race.

Smith turned around to maintain eye contact with a fan as he kept moving before making the brief gesture with both hands.

The off-season recruit explained the situation to Channel 7, saying the fan was abusing Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield, who was walking just in front of Smith.

"We were in enemy territory. I kind of love that stuff, I love the back and forth with the fans," Smith said.

"If I had my time again, I probably shouldn't have done the double bird.

"But … there's only so much you can cop. … Don't talk shit to the skipper I guess."

Geelong crashes Adelaide's Gather Round party Photo shows Patrick Dangerfield screams in delight as teammates mob him With the whole AFL watching, Adelaide had everything set up for its perfect Gather Round welcome, only for Geelong to stroll in, crash the party and ransack the house on the way out.

The fan was, according to Smith, getting too personal with his criticism towards former Crow Dangerfield.

"That wasn't anything untoward toward Adelaide Crows in general, just the one bloke that was making a big effort to get stuck into Danger," he said.

"You can judge performance and stuff as much as you like but when you start getting into some deeper details it's probably a bit far."

Immediately after the incident, Smith and Dangerfield appeared to be having a laugh together as they made their way to the locker room.

Smith said he spoke to AFL football operations chief Laura Kane the morning after the match and appreciated her giving him a chance to explain himself, but acknowledged he had a fine on the way.

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"It's obviously just a bad look," he said.

"Hopefully [the fine is] not too hefty. I might get Danger to pay for it."

West Coast young gun Harley Reid was given a $1,000 fine over a similar incident last month, charged with misconduct for flipping off Brisbane fans during a game at the Gabba.

Speaking post-match, Smith, who sat out last season with a knee injury, revealed he is in a good headspace after battling mental health issues in recent years.

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"Things are good now. Twelve months ago I was a bit off with the fairies, not right in the head," he told Seven.

"Footy is the one thing, that's what people forget, they see the outside stuff, but footy is what makes me tick.

"I want to outwork everyone, I want to be the best I can and hopefully win a flag with these boys."

Geelong improved to 3-2 with their come-from-behind win over Adelaide, setting up a huge clash with unbeaten Hawthorn in their traditional Easter Monday battle.

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