Adam Cooney said he feels for Bailey Smith after he was dealt the devastating news he would miss the 2024 AFL season after suffering an ACL injury in training and believes his contract decision has now been made harder. The AFL world rallied around Smith on Wednesday after it was confirmed he would miss the next season having injured his ACL in training.

Smith was set to bounce back after a lacklustre season, from his standards, having seen his average disposals drop from 29 in 2022 to 23. Cooney was confident Smith would bounce back with the talent at his disposal.

However, his injury has left the Western Bulldogs shellshocked with the 23-year-old coming off contract at the end of next year. And Cooney believes the loss is a blow for the whole of the AFL, not just the Bulldogs.

“After a quiet season 2023 being coming into a contract season, it’s devastating for Bailey,” Cooney said on SEN Radio. “I just feel like he had a point to prove coming into season 2024

“In the social world, he is the most famous player in the AFL, he’s more famous than Dustin Martin, which is unbelievable given the difference in CVs. He’s a damaging midfielder at his best who had a cracking 2021 finals series, and it leaves the Dogs in a bit of a hole.”

When asked about his contract negotiations, Cooney believes it could be up to the Bulldogs to show Bailey how good they can be in 2024 if he is to decide on whether to stay or seek footy elsewhere. Cooney said the midfielder has fallen out of favour at times with coach Luke Beveridge, which could impact his decision.

However, if Bailey feels he can recapture his form and help the Bulldogs to the top, then it could persuade him to stay. “I feel like if he would have squeezed back into that midfield, then I think he would have been more inclined to stay,” Cooney said of Bailey’s contract.

“It depends on how they go. If things go really well and the Dogs finish top four, which they have the potential to if you have a look at this list, then he might think, ‘Well, everything’s on track … I want to stay for another couple of years, see if we can get another premiership sign that two-year deal’.”

The 23-year-old was taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 Draft and has played 103 games for the Dogs ever since. He struggled with inconsistent form in 2023 and fell out of favour with Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.

Smith is off contract at the end of 2024 and rumours have been rife that he will look to move clubs. He recently travelled to America with Collingwood gun Nick Daicos, leading Magpies fans to speculate whether the club is looking to snare him

If there’s any lingering animosity between Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk and their respective wives, it certainly wasn’t on display at the NRL Hall of Fame ceremony on Wednesday night. Smith and Cronk were among a number of new inductees into the Hall of Fame, along with other modern day greats Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess and Benji Marshall.

What was particularly eye-catching about Smith and Cronk’s appearance together – along with their wives Barb and Tara – was it was extremely rare to see the Melbourne Storm legends in the same room together. Smith and Cronk used to be great mates, and led the Storm during the height of their success in the 2000s and 2010s.

But they had an infamous falling out, and Smith refused to attend Cronk’s wedding in Sydney. The feud was reportedly sparked by Cronk’s decision to leave the Storm for the Sydney Roosters, where he won another two premierships.

Smith was reportedly unhappy that Cronk decided to join the Storm’s arch-rivals, which Cronk said he did to be closer to Tara – who worked in Sydney. And when Cronk and Tara tied the knot in a small ceremony in Sydney, Smith and wife Barb were noticeably absent.

Smith is said to have sent Cronk a very abrupt text message to inform him he wouldn’t be attending, and it didn’t go down well with Cronk and Tara. The pair then had a fiery exchange in the 2018 grand final when the Roosters beat the Storm, with Cronk putting his hands around Smith’s throat after a late tackle.

But it appears as though time really does heel old wounds, with Smith and Cronk burying the hatchet in the years that have passed. There were nice scenes on Wednesday night when Cronk and Smith embraced on stage after being inducted into the Hall of Fame together, and Cronk also paid his condolences to Smith over the recent death of his mother.

During their speeches, both Smith and Cronk made mention of the fact they couldn’t have had the success they did without each other, as well as the likes of Slater and Inglis. It made for a welcome sight after two of the game’s great players weren’t getting along for years.