Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews lifts lid on heated exchange with Bailey Smith during grand final

Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews has lifted the lid on his exchange with Geelong star Bailey Smith during the final stages of the grand final.

With the Lions motoring to back-to-back premiership in the dying minutes, Andrews and Smith were spotted in an interesting on-field confrontation.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Smith’s frustration boils over in dying stages.

Smith had just kicked the ball to the top of square that ended up in an Ollie Dempsey goal before cameras picked up the pair exchanging words.

“There’s a bit going on here, not the day that Bailey Smith wanted, been a huge year for him, been OK today, but his frustration ringing out,” Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes said at the time.

Brownlow medallist and SEN commentator Gerard Healy added: “Bailey Smith having an argument with Harris Andrews. It’s an argument Smith will never win with the scoreboard the way it is.”

Fans were quick to call out Smith for the incident, questioning why he would go after Andrews with his side minutes away from grand final humiliation.

Smith was also involved in a pivotal moment in the third quarter when he was beaten to the ball by veteran Lion Dayne Zorko, who set up Lachie Neale for a crucial goal in the shadows of three-quarter time.

Andrews finished as one of the Lions’ best, coming second behind Will Ashcroft in the Norm Smith Medal voting.

The defender didn’t give too much away when speaking about the incident on Sunday, but said he was “enjoying” himself.

“All part of the theatre of the game to be honest with you ... Bailey is a great competitor and I really admire the way he goes about it, I’m not sure whether that got caught on camera or not,” he told Channel 9 with a laugh.

“I was enjoying myself out there, probably a bit more than Bailey, it is what it is, just get on with the job.”

Smith, who had an excellent debut season for the Cats, finished with 29 touches but lacked his usual influence.

He paid tribute to the Lions on Instagram after the defeat.

“Congrats to the Lions, better team on the day. Love you Cats fans. This one hurts. See you in 2026,” he wrote, along with a picture of Charlie Cameron celebrating a goal.

Meanwhile, Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield said his side will have to “sit in” the disappointment of their AFL grand final capitulation then ensure they don’t let it hold them back.

“The hard part is there’s no guarantees in any given season,” Dangerfield said.

“It’s everyone that starts again from the blocks, and just because you’ve had a reasonable season one year, there are no guarantees the next.

“So I think it’s important that you sit in it for a little bit, that as difficult as it may be, together this piece is really important.

“It’s something that we’ve always done really well as an organisation, regardless of the results, but particularly when we’ve lost big games of footy.

“The club’s always given us a great opportunity to threaten to compete, and I’m sure they’ll give us an opportunity again.”

This year, Sydney slumped after their horror 10-goal loss to Brisbane in the 2024 decider.

Dangerfield conceded the disappointment could hang over the team - but it was worth it to consistently be in contention.

“Look, I think it’s going to hang around regardless,” he said.

“That’s the feeling you get when you make it to the last day of September and you don’t quite get there.”

- With AAP