Cats up Kelly asking price
GEELONG has told West Coast it will need to come up with something better than two first-round picks if it is to secure Tim Kelly in this month’s trade period.
Kelly, who finished second in the 2019 Carji Greeves Medal count behind Patrick Dangerfield, officially requested a trade to the Eagles last week.
The 2018 premiers currently hold picks 14, 24 and 33, meaning they will need to get creative in order to arm themselves with the necessary firepower to deal with the Cats.
West Coast’s arch rival Fremantle is lurking in the background and could soon hold picks six and seven if Brad Hill gets to St Kilda, but Geelong remains open to getting Kelly to his preferred destination for the right price.
It had been believed that two picks in the first round would have satisfied the Cats but Wells said yesterday Kelly was “worth more than that”.
It is understood Geelong is not interested in any of the players the Eagles have not ruled out of a trade, meaning football manager Craig Vozzo and his team will be forced to look at dealing with opposition clubs as well as the Cats if they are to come to an agreement.
“Geelong has put a position to us for consideration,” Vozzo said. “We’re going to consider all of our options. We’ve had some good discussions with Stephen (Wells) and the rest of the Geelong crew this morning and we’ll keep them going.
“It’s a deal that we need to consider … there’s always too high of a price. It’s what is fair and reasonable in any market circumstances. We acknowledge he is a very good player and we acknowledge that a heavy price needs to be paid.”
Geelong and Fremantle have held discussions regarding Kelly but the Dockers are yet to touch base with the 25year-old, mindful of his wishes to find a home with West Coast.
Fremantle footy boss Peter Bell said the key was finding the right balance between respect for the player and doing the right thing by the club.
“We have got to be respectful of Tim’s wishes and we have put our case to Tim’s management, and obviously as was the case last year, he wants to go to West Coast,” Bell said.
“We’ll continue to do the best we can to present as a viable option for Tim should negotiations stall between Geelong and West Coast. But we are respectful of Tim and (Kelly’s partner) Caitlin’s wishes.
“Our stakeholders would expect us to be as aggressive as possible but at the same time being respectful, so there is that balance and there’s a lot to play out.”
Geelong also met with St Kilda yesterday to discuss the future of four-time Saints bestand-fairest Jack Steven, with both parties open to the possibility of a deal being sorted.