'Enjoying myself': Lions skipper Harris Andrews' jab back after awkward Bailey Smith act in grand final
Updated . First published
Brisbane captain Harris Andrews has weighed in after an awkward altercation with Geelong's Bailey Smith during the AFL grand final.
It was a tough afternoon for Smith at the MCG, with his struggles highlighted by a strange call to get into a verbal stoush with Lions defender Andrews late in the fourth quarter of the grand final.
With the game already effectively over, the Cats strung together two late goals, and Smith sought to get into the face of the Brisbane captain, shoving him and having a decent verbal crack.
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Bailey Smith shoves Harris Andrews. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The game was even at half time, but the Lions stormed home in the final term, kicking nine goals to blow the lead out to 47.
The interaction with Andrews came after Ollie Dempsey kicked his fourth goal for the Cats, though the sting was well out of the contest by that point.
The Brisbane co-captain admits he probably had the last laugh in the altercation.
"It's all part of the theatre of the game to be honest with you. Bailey's a great competitor and I really admire the way he goes about the game," Andrews told Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
"I don't know if that moment got caught on camera, but I was enjoying myself out there. Probably a little bit more than Bailey was.
"It is what it is. We just got on with the job."
Smith has had another week in the headlines, after rocking up to the Brownlow Medal in sunglasses and swearing at media as he made his way in.
He also stuck his middle finger up at a Geelong Advertiser photographer and screamed at her to delete photos she had taken of him during an open-media training session during semi-final week.
Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy was bemused by the altercation with Andrews during the fourth term.
"Bailey Smith [is] having an argument with Harris Andrews. It's an argument Smith will never win with the scoreboard the way it is," Healy told SEN.
Andrews, for his part, finished second in Norm Smith Medal voting.
Harris Andrews, Chris Fagan, and Lachie Neale of the Lions celebrate with the premiership cup. via Getty Images
Smith had more disposals than any other Cat in the fourth term, picking up 10, to finish on 29 for the game.
The 24-year-old also had seven score involvements, eight turnovers and four clangers.
It was the culmination of a breakout year for Smith, emerging as a star of the competition and finishing third in the Brownlow Medal, but the fourth-quarter act he would probably regret.
It was a particularly tough day in the office for other Cats as well, including captain Patrick Dangerfield.
After his best-on-ground performance in the preliminary final, he only found 10 disposals on Saturday afternoon.
Brisbane tagged him around the ground with Josh Dunkley and Brandon Starcevich, but Dangerfield was far from his best.
Jeremy Cameron, playing with what turned out to be a fractured arm suffered in a collision with Dangerfield, was held goalless.
