Bailey Dale (born 22 July 1996[1]) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 187 cm (6ft 2in) tall and 83 kg (182 lb), he plays as a running half-back who can move up forward or play as a wingman. He grew up in Chelsea Heights, Victoria. He played top-level junior football with the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup, and placed third in the team’s best and fairest.
The Western Bulldogs took Dale with the 45th selection in the 2014 AFL draft. Since then, he has been an All-Australian, a VFL premiership player, and a winner of the Tony Liberatore Most Improved Player Award. He has polled a total of five Brownlow Medal votes in his career.
. . . Bailey Dale . . .
Dale grew up in Chelsea Heights in the southern suburbs of Melbourne.[2] He grew up supporting Collingwood in the Australian Football League, and cited his all-time favourite AFL player as Chris Judd.[3] Dale began his footballing at the Edithvale-Aspendale junior football club. At just a young age, he played in the Victorian Under 12 schoolboys team. Later, he played in the senior’s premiership for the Edithvale-Aspendale Eagles at the age of just 17, kicking a goal to help them get over the line.[4][5][6] Dale missed bottom age selection with the Dandenong Stingrays in his under 14s and 15s years, however in 2014 he was selected for the under 18 team, where he finished third in the team’s best and fairest.[7] He had one of his best games for the Stingrays in round 8 of the 2014 TAC Cup season, kicking three goals and being named as the team’s best.[8] He was also named in the team’s best in rounds 6, 10 and 13.[9][10][11] After kicking 12 goals in the home-and-away season,[12] Dale kicked two more goals in the Stringrays’ finals series, which saw them reach a preliminary final against the Calder Cannons.[13] At the AFL Draft Combine, Dale was noted for his goal-kicking accuracy, scoring 24/30 on the goal-kicking test.[14] Despite being predicted not to be drafted by the majority of phantom drafts,[15][16] Dale was taken by the Western Bulldogs with pick 45 in the third round of the 2014 AFL draft.[17][18]
. . . Bailey Dale . . .