Geelong coach Chris Scott won't accept suggestions he needs to tone down high-profile midfielder Bailey Smith's on-field antics.
Smith continues to polarise AFL fans, this time for slamming the ball into Jarman Impey's head during the Cats' tense win over Hawthorn at the MCG on Monday.
Impey fell to the turf and received a free kick for the high contact in an incident that could draw more scrutiny from the match review officer.
Smith later played up to the crowd, goading Hawthorn fans by cupping his hand to his ear multiple times when they jeered him.
"I don't buy into it too much but my suggestion is that the crowd loved it, the AFL loved it, and I reckon Bailey loves it as well," Scott said.
"If the suggestion is that we should try to make him boring and vanilla, then we'll rail against that."
Smith could also be scrutinised over a hand gesture directed towards Hawthorn fans when he was jeered while running off the ground.
It was unclear on the broadcast footage of the incident whether he raised his middle finger.
The latest incidents came little more than one week after Smith was fined $1000 for flipping a "double-bird" at an Adelaide fan who was taunting Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield as the team walked off the ground.
Smith was jeered by Hawthorn fans - and cheered by Cats supporters - throughout the day after the unusual interaction with Impey.
Impey was also booed by Geelong fans despite being the innocent party in the clash with Smith, who later conceded he was out of line.
"It was a bit of carry-on, I know," Smith said on Fox Footy.
"I shouldn't have done that, but it's Easter Monday, I get fired up.
"It's not a good act but it's just all part of it.
"I get hit and cop it. It's just good fun, all in the spirit of the game."
Scott felt there was nothing in the incident.
"Touching a footy on someone's face - I hope he's OK - but I think it's so minor I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said.
"We don't condone it but we're much more interested in a pattern (of behaviour).
"Even the fact I've spoken about it too much probably gives it too much air time."
Smith was a key trade acquisition for Geelong at the end of last year and has had a significant early impact on the field for his new club, despite courting some controversy.
He was a strong contributor against Hawthorn with a team-high 28 disposals and 630 metres gained, building on his partnership with fellow dasher Max Holmes.
"I wouldn't necessarily coach anyone to behave exactly the way that Bailey does, but he kind of is what he is, and our job is to sort of shape him," Scott said.
"We knew that he was going to come in and was going to be a bit different to players that we've had in our system before, but we made a commitment to embrace it and kind of help.
"He's 23, by the way. He's going to evolve."
