WHERE is Bailey Smith best suited as a player? Is it on the wing, down forward or in the guts as a pure midfielder?<\/p>\n
That is a question Luke Beveridge and his coaching group would be pondering as their young star battles through a significant drop off in form.<\/p>\n
Smith has been fighting form throughout the year and he did so again last Friday night against Collingwood.<\/p>\n
Smith finished the game with just the 12 touches, one mark, three tackles and no score involvements. He also struggled by foot, going at 36 per cent with his disposal efficiency.<\/p>\n
His last three games have seen a return of 19, 16 and 12 disposals.<\/p>\n
Given the Dogs have a plethora of midfielders in their side, Beveridge has been using Smith as a high half forward in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge said the Bulldogs should be maximising Smith\u2019s incredible running ability by playing him on the wing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis first few years have been really good, he used his run and creativity and he did that on the wing,\u201d Hodge said on SEN\u2019s Crunch Time.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you\u2019ve been in the AFL system for three, four and five years, and you excel in a certain position, it\u2019s about how we can take that player to the next step.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the Bulldogs, they\u2019re playing him more of a half forward to try and lose a defender and bring him up to the contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was a coach at the Bulldogs, to try and get him some confidence back, I would be putting him on the wing and keep him on the wing for a full game and making sure he gets that confidence back that he once had.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time the Bulldogs played Collingwood, he had 41 touches playing on the wing and around the ball, not playing him as a high half forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe high half forward is the hardest position to play because you\u2019re trying to create space to get out of the forward line, you\u2019ve also got to work back in but you\u2019ve also got a half back flanker trying to shut you down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be making it a little bit easier on the kid and say \u2018use your running ability\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hodge said that by playing the 22-year-old on the wing, the Dogs would see his disposal efficiency improve as he gets a lot more time and space on the wings as opposed to the forward line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other thing is about his kicking efficiency, you\u2019re always under pressure on the half forward with midfielders squeezing back and putting pressure on your kick and you\u2019ve got a little small area to work into,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the wing, you can work back into your defensive 50, work up the fat side, there\u2019s more space for a winger to hit a kick if his kicks a little bit suspect as we\u2019re starting to see in that position at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
From his 14 games in 2023, Smith is averaging 24 disposals at 66 per cent efficiency.<\/p>\n