Dean Bailey's son, Darcy, who plays for Glenelg, has been awarded the SANFL's Star Search Award for Round 7. Source: News Corp Australia
DARCY Bailey takes his dad with him every time he runs out on the footy field.
Speaking for the first time since the death of his father, the former Crows senior assistant Dean Bailey, the 19-year-old Glenelg small forward says he thinks about his dad before and during every game he plays.
"He always told me before games that 'the ball in your hands is a good result for the team' and when I'm running out I always remind myself about that," says Bailey, who has played five league games.
"Sometimes I'll think about things he's shown me because my favourite thing to do when I was younger was to watch football with him on a laptop while he edited games.
"The majority of the stuff I know now is from those experiences.
"Small things like that, when I'm out on the ground, I remember him saying what to do in this situation and I try to do it as best I can."
Dean Bailey, who played at Essendon, and who was also an assistant at Port, and coached Melbourne, died in March, aged 47 - just three months after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Darcy has shown remarkable resilience since his father's death and this week won the SANFL's Star Search Award - which identifies the competition's best young player - for round seven.
He says the support of his teammates, Glenelg officials and the Crows helped him through the difficult period - and continues today.
Darcy Bailey, right, with father Dean Bailey during the TAC Cup.
Darcy missed a week of training after his dad's death - "just sitting around at home" - but was soon back among his Tigers teammates.
Returning to the Tigers was important given his dad played two seasons there and won the Tigers' best and fairest in 1995.
"I love playing football and being around the guys so I came back to training and it was really good. Everyone got around me and I felt amazing when I came back,'' Darcy said.
"They have been amazing from when we first found out about Dad to after - both the Crows and Glenelg have been unbelievable.
"I received a text from every single player from Glenelg and the board and have had so much support from everyone - and continue to have that. I can't thank the club enough."
Darcy knows his dad would be proud of his form this season, during which he has also played one game for the Crows reserves as a top-up player.
"Dad was always pumping me up with confidence - probably too much - before games,'' he said.
"He'd tell me to keep going the way I'm going, keep doing the things I'm doing and keep trying to be as professional as I can to keep my spot in the team. He's been a great support of mine."
Darcy's goal this season is to cement a spot in the Tigers' league team.
He hopes to one day play AFL, like his dad.
"Since year two I've had a goal and dream to play AFL football, used to join in dad's trainings at Melbourne and at Essendon was kicking with Scotty Lucas," Darcy said.
"Dad always said get to the highest level you can but he was supportive of whatever I wanted to do. But if I didn't enjoy playing footy he wouldn't have cared, he'd be proud of me either way."
Along the way, Darcy, who is studying a Bachelor of Arts and working at a restaurant to keep busy, says he intends to follow his dad's mantra.
"The main thing everyone spoke about (when Bailey died) was the way he treats people.
"It doesn't matter if you're the best player or the worst player - he'd invest time in you as a person and treat everyone equally.
"I feel like I've tried to take that from him."
Dad’s with me every time I play, says Darcy Bailey
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Dad’s with me every time I play, says Darcy Bailey
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