Bailey Smith made a mockery of Ballarat's Mars Stadium this year, cracking a gag about its miserly crowd capacity as it undergoes construction.

Six months on, the Western Bulldogs' two regular-season AFL games slated to be played at Mars Stadium in 2026 have been relocated.

In an agreement with the City of Ballarat and Visit Victoria finalised in December 2024, the Bulldogs were set to play two regular-season matches at Mars Stadium each season between 2025 and 2027.

But the second 2025 game scheduled for Ballarat was relocated to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne and now both regular-season matches that were set to be played at Mars Stadium in 2026 will also instead be held at Marvel Stadium.

As a compromise, Mars Stadium will host three 2026 pre-season matches as well as two games in th

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