Josh Kelly must decide if he wants to play in premierships or chase a big contract, writes Jon Ralph
NORTH Melbourne’s offer to Josh Kelly is the biggest deal since Lance Franklin’s $10 million, nine-year contract. But is it the right thing for either party? Jon Ralph takes a close look.
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DOES Josh Kelly want to play in premierships or does he want to chase the money?
It is the question football’s backroom boys are asking this week after the extraordinary nine-year offer from North Melbourne.
No one will confirm the exact figures, but if the deal doesn’t reach $9 million over that period it is only a fraction short of that magnitude.
The Herald Sun can reveal Sydney star Isaac Heeney was offered a similar deal by the Kangaroos before re-signing in December.
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The North Melbourne deal was for seven or eight years and at a million dollars a year, an eye-watering amount of cash for a second-year player.
The wildly talented academy product passed up that cash to sign a five-year extension, unwilling to leave his home state despite the offer.
But 22-year-old Kelly grew up in Melbourne, with his father Phil a 61-game wingman for the Kangaroos after winning two Sandover Medals out west.
As recently as last month Kelly was exclusively negotiating with the Giants on a two-year extension, unwilling to consider other offers from clubs including the Dogs.
But the biggest deal since Lance Franklin’s $10 million, nine-year deal could be a game-changer.
GWS knows it, aware they cannot go close to matching that deal given a salary cap so tight it could only sign Brett Deledio when Richmond paid some of the deal.
As one GWS official said, it is a simple question of whether he wants to chase money or “play an extra month of footy each year”.
GWS can scarcely complain given it threw megabucks at Callan Ward, Phil Davis and Tom Scully to prise them out of their clubs as a start-up.
The more relevant question is whether Kelly is worth the money for a side likely about to get a top-eight pick in this year’s national draft anyway.
North Melbourne premiership player and dual best-and-fairest winner Wayne Schwass says Kelly simply isn’t worth that kind of deal.
“I have high regard for him as a good young player but it’s over the odds for him based on where he’s at,’’ he told the Herald Sun.
“It is a great result for him but if I was in charge of the club I don’t think I would be offering it.
“It’s a little bit irresponsible, but it’s the world we live in.
“With all due respect to Josh, I don’t think he’s a great player yet. Great players are able to maintain a very high level of performance for multiple years.
“If you are paying nine million over nine years you want a marquee player who commands a position in the top handful of players.
“Josh is a fast player with great skills who can come off half back but for nine million you want a marquee forward or a Dusty Martin or Nate Fyfe who can win the game off his own boot.
“Josh hasn’t done that yet.”
Schwass is right — he isn’t worth that cash despite last year’s fourth in the best-and-fairest.
But the Roos are playing the long game, aware the only way they can secure an instant star in their rebuild is with an offer he can’t refuse.
From a big picture perspective you have to admire it on many levels.
For too long the AFL’s heartland clubs have nibbled away at the edges of GWS’s list, paying overs for quality players and plenty for the fish GWS rejected.
North Melbourne has gone for their emerging star, a future captain who could easily elevate to one of the league’s top ten midfielders.
It is risky and expensive, given he isn’t a rarer-than-hen’s-teeth key forward like Tom Boyd and they could pluck a Clayton Oliver type in this November’s draft.
Yet the one thing you can’t accuse the Roos of is being shrinking violets.
No word yet on whether it changes Kelly’s mind, but you have to love the audacity of this deal.
Originally published as Josh Kelly must decide if he wants to play in premierships or chase a big contract, writes Jon Ralph
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