Long way from home but Kelly wants to stay
GEELONG midfield revelation Tim Kelly has “no intentions” of going home to Western Australia, according to his partner Caitlin Miller.
Kelly is yet to tell the Cats of his future plans, but there is growing optimism he could recommit before the end of the home-and-away season, despite some family homesickness.
Cats coach Chris Scott last week said he was confident Kelly would stay long-term at the Cats despite the strong pull of home. But Miller did admit in a social media post she didn’t like living in Geelong “because I have no family or friends here”.
“It’s boring for me,” Miller said.
“Our family are super-tight and back home we all lived in the same neighbourhood. I could just walk to see them all.
“It’s very hard, but I’m not unhappy, just miss them.”
If Kelly stays, the Cats will devise a plan to help mitigate as many of the homesickness factors as possible for his family. The couple have three young children, including twins born just weeks after Kelly was drafted.
Miller said in a questionand-answer session on Instagram that Kelly was “absolutely loving” playing for Geelong.
“He most definitely wants to stay here,” she said.
The news would delight Cats officials who are desperately keen to keep Kelly and extend his contract past the end of next year, when his current deal expires.
Both West Coast and Fremantle are aggressively pursuing the emerging midfielder, prompting speculation he may seek a trade.
Kelly’s manager Anthony Van Der Wielen last week said his client was still weighing up his future.
Given he is under contract for next season, the Cats would have greater trade leverage this year if he was to seek an early move home.
Kelly’s form remains unaffected by the public nature of the situation, having played every match in his debut season, averaging 22 disposals and a goal a game.
Asked if he could guarantee Kelly would be at Geelong next year, Scott said: “Oh, ‘guarantee’, that’s a strong assertion”.
“It’s my expectation that he will be. The club’s in a pretty strong position when you’ve got a contracted player.
“I’m very confident that Tim wants to play with Geelong.”