Overview

• Bailey Smith deleted an Instagram caption referencing Brokeback Mountain alongside a photo with captain Patrick Dangerfield, drawing a rebuke from former player Mitch Brown who labelled it homophobic and urged the Cats to do better.
• Smith also removed a post hinting at a helicopter arrival with Carlton star Charlie Curnow next year, as Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie confirmed interest in Curnow but noted Carlton will set the terms with the forward under contract.
• Advocacy voices, including Pride Cup chief executive Hayley Conway, criticised the joke’s impact on LGBTQIA+ people, saying such comments deter young people from coming out.
• Ollie Dempsey and Sam De Koning leaned into salary‑cap chatter with an Aston Martin and Cotton On branding, while other outfits — including a Caroline Wilson parody and a Kneecap tribute — fuelled debate; Kane Cornes called the day disrespectful and embarrassing.
• The AFL’s audit of Geelong’s third‑party payments remains underway with no public findings or sanctions announced to date.