Geelongs decision not to trade Tim Kelly last year has already been vindicated.
In straight football terms, not trading Kelly was the right decision. It felt ruthlessly unsympathetic at the time, and outside the homely new-age sensitivity clubs are wont to embrace, but it was the right decision. If they end up convincing him to stay it will be the best bit of football management since Hawthorn traded Trent Croad for pick one and got Luke Hodge.
Top Cat: Tim Kelly on the run for Geelong against Collingwood.Credit:AAP
In a midfield of Patty Dangerfield and Joel Selwood Kelly was the star on Friday night. He was the best, most influential player on the ground by some margin.
Collingwood by some accounts has the best or deepest midfield in the AFL this year. Perhaps they do, but on Friday night Kelly beat them.
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By keeping Kelly, for this last year of his existing contract at the very minimum, they have kept a player who can help them make top four this year and challenge for the flag. Beyond that, whatever will be will be.
Kelly undoubtedly makes the Cats better this year and they can worry about tomorrow later. But so too do Geelong make him better.
Powering up: Tom Rockliff was a big influence for Port Adelaide against Melbourne.Credit:AAP
Of all the midfielders to play this first round, Kellys game was as impressive as any. Tom Rockliff amassed possessions and Travis Boak was brutal, Cam Rayner looks to have advanced on last year and Jack Bowes at the Suns looks potentially elite, but Kelly was better than them. He burst from packs, broke lines, delivered the ball creatively. There were none better than him and he could end this season, just his second in the AFL, in the elite of AFL midfielders.
Regardless of whether he stays or goes home to Perth, he will look back and be thankful that he was not traded and the new contract he pens at the end of this year – wherever that is – will be fatter than the one he signed at the end of last year.
The economics of the decision were never right for either Geelong or Kelly to go at the end of last season. But then the decision was never about economics. It was about family and the difficulties of isolation across the country from family.
Geelong has been doing what they can to help alleviate those problems.
Chris Scott warned at the weekend that it would be wrong to assume Kelly will want to leave again when he is out of contract at seasons end. Its a fair assumption, given he asked to leave only a few months ago, but things change, Scott said, and no one should assume that it is still the case. There is a lot of love for Kelly in Geelong and you can see why.
“Anyone that thinks its a foregone conclusion that Tim Kelly is going to leave Geelong is mistaken,” Scott said on SEN.
“Id probably repeat the comments that Tims made already publicly, that none of us can predict the future — hes really driven to win a premiership with Geelong.
“Our list management team will work really hard on getting a good result for the club. I am very, very optimistic that hell be a Geelong player for a long time.”
Clubs will be as eagerly waiting to see if Tim Kelly re-signs as they are Josh Kelly.
Round 1 goes rogue
Within one game, six months of training and preparation appears to have been validated or wasted.
All the confident assertions of how teams would finish this year, with wide support for Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne and West Coast to make top four were made to look foolish given all lost.
Poise: Hawk Jarman Impey controls possession under pressure from Adelaide's Eddie Betts.Credit:AAP
The annual decision to write off any Alastar Clarkson side has again been rendered a lesson in stupidity. But just calm yourself a little before opening the champagne, or drowning your sorrows.
Heres a snapshot of this time last year: Gold Coast comfortably beat North and then finished second-bottom. Hawthorn confidently beat Collingwood. The Magpies made the grand final. St Kilda touched up Brisbane – then finished third-bottom. Geelong outlasted Melbourne by a kick. The Demons finished top four. And finally, Sydney wiped West Coast – but the Eagles finished the year up pretty well.
Runs on the slide
When the AFL gets things right it gets the credit … for what it didnt get right.
The 6-6-6 zone looks good and looks to be working. The extra latitude from the kick-in rule hasnt had too much of an impact yet.
Saints and sinners: St Kilda's Matthew Parker (far left) tussles with Gold Coast's Charlie Ballard.Credit:Wayne Ludbey
The crackdown on jumper punches and rib ticklers has been effective. Ben Long neRead More
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