Zac Bailey

Zachary Karl Bailey^[1] (born 23 September 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Brisbane with their second selection and fifteenth overall in the 2017 national draft.^[2]

Zac Bailey
Bailey in April 2018
Personal information
Full name	Zachary Karl Bailey
Date of birth	(1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Darwin, Northern Territory
Original team(s)	Southern Districts (NTFL) / Norwood (SANFL)
Draft	No. 15, 2017 national draft
Debut	Round 4, 2018, Brisbane Lions vs. Richmond, at MCG
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Brisbane Lions
Number	33
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2018–	Brisbane Lions	151 (159)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 11, 2025.
Career highlights
AFL premiership player: 2024 22under22 team: 2021 Marcus Ashcroft Medal: 2022
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Bailey grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. He moved to Adelaide, South Australia, in 2016 to attend Prince Alfred College. While in Adelaide, he played for Norwood Football Club in the SANFL.^[2][3]

AFL career

Bailey made his AFL debut in the ninety-three point loss to Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round four of the 2018 season.^[4] In round two of 2021, Bailey tackled Geelong's Mark Blicavs in last few seconds of Brisbane's game at GMHBA Stadium that was controversially not paid holding the ball to Bailey. The following week, he kicked the match-winning goal after the siren against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium.^[5]

Bailey kicked an iconic Grand Final goal during the first quarter of the 2023 Grand Final against Collingwood.^[6] Brisbane lost the game by a narrow margin, diminishing the impact of the stunning solo goal. Bailey got his redemption by being a part of the Lions' 2024 premiership winning team, collecting 17 disposals and 7 marks in a 60 point victory over the Sydney Swans.^[7]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.^[8]

Legend

G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks
#	Played in that season's  premiership team

Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)							Votes
				G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2018	Brisbane Lions	33	12	6	4	76	86	162	36	28	0.5	0.3	6.3	7.2	13.5	3.0	2.3	0
2019	Brisbane Lions	33	15	5	5	106	74	180	38	29	0.3	0.3	7.1	4.9	12.0	2.5	1.9	0
2020[a]	Brisbane Lions	33	19	13	9	166	89	255	76	47	0.7	0.5	8.7	4.7	13.4	4.0	2.5	1
2021	Brisbane Lions	33	24	31	18	273	167	440	77	68	1.3	0.8	11.4	7.0	18.3	3.2	2.8	4
2022	Brisbane Lions	33	24	37	18	271	141	412	96	52	1.5	0.7	11.2	5.8	17.1	4.0	2.1	5
2023	Brisbane Lions	33	24	29	19	254	148	402	76	72	1.2	0.8	10.6	6.2	16.8	3.2	3.0	5
2024#	Brisbane Lions	33	22	22	12	218	140	358	94	52	1.0	0.6	9.9	6.4	16.3	4.3	2.4	0
Career			140	143	85	1364	845	2209	493	348	1.0	0.6	9.7	6.0	15.8	3.5	2.5	15

Notes

1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

• AFL premiership player: 2024

Individual

• 22under22 team: 2021
• Marcus Ashcroft Medal: 2022