WHY GEELONG SHOULD TAG TIM KELLY IN THE WEST
No doubt WA clubs will be seeking to chat with midfielder
IF I was Geelong, I’d be tagging Tim Kelly in Perth this week.
I’d be sticking Zach Tuohy, or Joel Selwood, or Patrick Dangerfield on his shoulder and telling them: “Where TK goes, you go.”
No coffee dates, toilet breaks, lunches or visits without an escort.
Why? Because with Geelong staying in Western Australia this week, this is the perfect opportunity for West Coast and Fremantle to court the midfield magician.
Clearly I’m having a joke, but this week’s trip to Perth could have a significant impact on whether the out-of-contract Kelly stays in Geelong or goes back home.
So I’m really interested in seeing how these seven days pan out, especially for the player.
He is home this week with his family, he can see everyone again. Does it give the Kellys more of a drive for them to go home because they know what they’re missing?
Or does a week at home satisfy the needs of seeing everyone, knowing full well they have more help over here and things are looking a lot better.
You would have to be naive to think the West Australian clubs aren’t reaching out to have a chat or trying to have a chat with TK — particularly Fremantle.
If I was a Dockers supporter, I’d be cheering Kelly every time he got the ball in this weekend’s match and make him feel good.
I’d be trying to encourage him to come home, show him how he can be loved by the Purple Haze.
It’s not very often the opposition fans cheer for you, but this is certainly a time worth doing it.
We saw the Cats’ faithful do it when Dangerfield’s Adelaide played at GMHBA Stadium. Not long after Dangerfield asked to be traded to Geelong.
I’m not sure if that really had an impact on his decision-making, but it showed that Geelong’s fans were waiting with open arms if he chose to come home.
So there’s no doubt a lot of games are set to be played on and off the field in Perth this week.
I’m also interested to see how Geelong goes early in Saturday’s contest.
We’ve seen after a nice break that the team does not go too well, and this week in Perth in the warm weather is certainly one of those nice little breaks.
So that’s a little bit of a concern for Geelong — and it will be a big test for the footy club.
I’ve got no doubt they would have talked about that, and maybe this is a little test for the players from the club’s point of view.
Maybe they want to see how they react to this, knowing there is a break before finals.
Fingers crossed there is also another break after the qualifying final.
Last week I wrote how Geelong was in a heavy training block.
The Cats are out of that now and you could see their fitness levels in the second half against Sydney.
You could feel their intensity and brand come back into play in that second half.
I’m expecting them to kick on for the rest of the season, reminiscent of the first half.