Geelong into AFL Grand Final as Smith seals win; AFL boss makes cheeky dig at Smith–Hembrow romance in front of PM

Geelong advanced to the AFL Grand Final with a 17.13 (115) to 13.7 (85) win over Hawthorn at Kardinia Park in Geelong on Friday night, sealing a spot in the decider. Bailey Smith delivered a late, decisive goal to lift the Cats over the Hawks and spark celebrations among home supporters.

Before the opening siren, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon used the moment to reference Smith and Tammy Hembrow’s high-profile romance, telling a room of Melbourne football decision-makers that “two players with strong ties to the Gold Coast for two very different reasons” were in form. The comment came in a wide-ranging speech in front of Hawthorn supporters and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, among others.

Dillon’s quip followed a week of public chatter surrounding Smith’s dating life, which had included a Daily Mail report about a Gold Coast dinner with Tammy Hembrow and later Instagram displays of affection on a Queensland walk and in Melbourne. Reports in recent weeks suggested the relationship’s status was unsettled, with insiders claiming Smith would bring a friend to the Brownlow Medal Awards rather than Hembrow. The AFL chief’s line underscored the event’s blend of on-field drama and off-field headlines, a combination that has kept fans and media attention focused on the rising Geelong star.

The Cats reached their third grand final in six seasons under coach Chris Scott, extending their run of strong form into September. Geelong finished the preliminary final strongly, with captain Joel Selwood (retired) now replaced by a younger generation that has grown into mainstays throughout the season. The final scoreline reflected Geelong’s dominance in the latter stages, as Hawthorn struggled to keep pace after a tight first half.

Noah Anderson, who inherits a leadership role on a Suns side that made history by reaching the AFL finals for the first time, was highlighted in Dillon’s remarks as another example of a Gold Coast-linked player succeeding in contemporary football. The comments came as Geelong prepared to face either Collingwood or Brisbane in next week’s Grand Final, and as the league continued to emphasize stability and evolution in its long-term strategy.

Geelong’s victory came as Scott defended the team’s approach, noting that the game has changed over time and that the Cats have chosen to evolve with it—while maintaining a core level of stability. “Yeah, I think that’s right. I find it a little bit hard to compare previous eras but we do shift things regularly in-season,” Scott said after the win. “We’re big believers that the game changes and we want to change either with it or hopefully a little bit in front of it. But we’ve been pretty stable for a long time and in part that’s because we’ve brought some young players in … and those guys became mainstays early on in our season. It helps you have stability and everyone, even in business, preaches stability. But there’s no point keeping going with the same thing if it’s not working. We just feel like it’s been working for a decent period of time now, so that gives us confidence that we’re going to be in pretty good shape to give it a real shake next week.”