Boom recruit Bailey Smith has exceeded all on-field expectations in his headline-grabbing first season at Geelong, midfield partner Max Holmes says.

The pair of speedsters have quickly become one of the most damaging combinations in the competition, firing the Cats into Saturday's grand final against the Brisbane Lions.

"Bailey's played beyond expectations this year and beyond expectations from the pre-season, to be honest," Holmes told AAP.

"He was good in pre-season, but not this good.

"It's been really enjoyable playing on the field with him and it's taken a load off some of us other midfielders."

Smith has bounced back stronger than ever from the knee injury which wrecked his final year at the Western Bulldogs and has rarely been out of the spotlight since his bombshell trade to G

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