Zac Bailey Biography

Zac Bailey reveals why he decided to stay in Brisbane after signing an eight-year extension with the club.

"The club's put an enormous amount of trust in me, and I'm certainly thankful for that," he said.

"I was just going to take things at my own pace. I think for the first half of the year, I didn't even really deal with it at all. I just wanted to go out there and play good footy, and that's what I was doing, so there wasn't really ever a rush for me to get it done.

"In the end, I love it here, love this club."

Zac Bailey turns down significant interest from Adelaide to recommit to the Lions on an eight-year deal, choosing to remain with Brisbane until the end of 2034.

"I love the environment here, the players, coaches and staff who all make it a great place to be and I feel like this club continues to bring the best out of me," he said.

"This club means so much to me - I came here as a young player and have grown up here and to know I will be here long-term is something I'm really proud of.

"I love what we as a club have achieved during my time here and I am super excited about what we can continue to achieve together."

The race for Zac Bailey is not just down to Brisbane or Adelaide, with other clubs still in the mix for the two-time premiership winner, according to the free agent's manager.

"There are a lot of clubs that are picking up the phone about Zac Bailey. At the moment, he's rapt at Brisbane. He's playing good footy, he's holding up his end of the bargain in that respect," Tom McConville from Mac's Sports Promotions said of Bailey.

Zac Bailey says he wants to stay at Brisbane as his free agency season rolls on, but says he is also weighing up being closer to family amid significant interest from both South Australian clubs.

"When it comes to contract years, there are a lot of factors you have to weigh up. I'm at that stage at the moment, just weighing things up. I won't rush into anything, but I'm loving my time at the club so far," he said.

"Firstly, it's about just being happy. Coming into the club, especially at the Lions, it's such a good culture. You want to be able to go into work and enjoy every day and enjoy the work that you do. That's probably top of the list for me. Then there's stuff around family and being close to them. There's just a lot of factors to weigh up."

A four-way trade will see Bailey Smith land at the Cats, Jack Macrae join St Kilda, and Matt Kennedy get a move to the Western Bulldogs.

Geelong
Receives: Bailey Smith, pick 45
Gives up: Picks 17, 38

St Kilda
Receives: Jack Macrae
Gives up: Pick 45

Western Bulldogs
Receives: Matt Kennedy and pick 17
Give up: Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae

Carlton
Receives: Pick 38
Gives up: Matt Kennedy

Zac Bailey will stay in Brisbane until at least the end of 2026 after signing a new contract extension.

Playing predominantly up forward in 2022, Bailey kicked three or more goals on six occasions and finished the year with a career best haul of 37.

"Eventually I'd like to spend a bit more time in the midfield," Bailey said. "But at the moment, I'm pretty happy playing that small forward role and pinch-hitting in the midfield.

"I feel like my strength is to be used as that small forward and I can keep developing in that area."

Zac Bailey kicks the winning goal after the siren to hand Brisbane a thrilling one-point win against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium.

"It's an amazing feeling," Bailey told Fox Footy after the match.

"It (the kick) felt really good. There was a lot of pressure obviously and I was just glad I was able to put it through."

Zac Bailey signs a new four-year deal to remain with the Lions until the end of 2024.

"I'm really excited about the future of the club. I reckon you've always got a connection with the guys you're drafted with, you just gravitate to them in your first year or two at the club," Bailey said.

"Obviously the longer you stay, you branch out and have great friends everywhere, but there's always that connection."

Zac Bailey signs a two-year contract extension to remain with Brisbane until the end of 2021.

"I've enjoyed my time at the club so far and with all the other boys re-signing it was an easy decision to be honest," Bailey said.

"The whole club has been really good over the first seven or eight months and I want to stay with them for the next couple of years."

Zac Bailey makes his AFL debut for Brisbane at the MCG with 7 disposals (2 kicks and 5 handballs), 2 marks and a tackle in a 93-point loss to Richmond.