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AFL Daily: Tim Kelly contract update, rolling footy news for April 29, 2019
Five months ago Tim Kelly wanted a trade but a deal couldn't get done. What's the latest on the Geelong gun's contract situation? Plus Alastair Clarkson's bizarre jumper ban and why we can't ignore booing. Recap all today's footy news.
Tim Kelly is in no hurry to make a decision on his football future as his value for interested parties continues to skyrocket.
Cats chief executive Brian Cook said on Sunday the club was keen for an early decision so it could plan the future after Kelly’s aborted trade last year.
The Cats wanted picks 20 and 22 and a swap of their 2019 third-round pick with West Coast’s second-round pick, but the Eagles baulked at that price.
SCROLL DOWN TO RECAP ALL TODAY'S FOOTY NEWS
His manager Anthony van der Wielen was at GMHBA Stadium and spent time with the Kellys over the weekend and the club today.
He is comfortable with Cook’s position but any public statement on another Kelly trade request or otherwise will likely only come at year’s end.
Offered a deal in excess of $500,000 a season last year, Kelly is now one of the AFL’s premier midfielders and has both West Australian clubs chasing him.
West Coast has severe cap issues but Fremantle would pay as much as $800,000 a year for a line-breaking, goalkicking midfielder of his calibre.
Tagged for the second time this year, he was able to lay 11 tackles to go with his 18 possessions as Mark Hutchings attempted to apply the clamps.
“We are very comfortable with where it’s at with the club,” Van der Wielen said.
“It is no surprise the Cats are interested and want to keep him. I just left Geelong and had a good discussion. We are having open dialogue with them all the time and everyone knows where it sits.
“It’s very early in the season. We are not engaging with anyone else. We talk to them but we are only interested in his happiness and welfare. We will deal with it when the time is appropriate.”
THE TACKLE: ROBBO'S LIKES, DISLIKES FROM ROUND 6
SUPERCOACH: ULTIMATE ROOKIE REPORT CARD
Cook told K Rock on Sunday the club would like to sign Kelly before the end of the year.
“We’re not waiting until the end of the year because we’d love a decision before then,” he said.
“We’re very determined to give it our best shot to keep him. Whether that’s good enough, who knows. We’ll know sometime during the year. Hopefully not at the end of the year.”
The Cats and Geelong are happy to wait until deep into the season before discussing Ablett’s future after a pair of match-winning performances.
Ablett is in no rush for a decision, aware his performances across the entire year will be factored in as he and the club discuss whether he plays on again.
RECAP ALL TODAY’S AFL NEWS IN THE BLOG BELOW
Updates
– Chris Cavanagh
Essendon midfielder Zach Merrett has labelled Dylan Shiel’s impact at the club “phenomenal”.
Shiel drew criticism in the wake of last week’s Anzac Day loss to Collingwood for his ball use, recording a 45 per cent kicking efficiency from his 22 kicks.
Shiel’s overall kicking efficiency this season stands at 52.6 per cent — the sixth-worst of any Essendon player.
However, the 26-year-old ranks sixth in the competition for centre clearances (2.8 a game), 10th for total disposals (30.2 a game), 11th for metres gained (523.8 a game) and 16th for score involvements (seven a game).
“I’ve loved having Dylan, not only on game day, but since he arrived in November he’s been a super player and super friend as well,” Merrett said.
“So I’m very grateful that we got Dylan to the club. His ability on game day’s phenomenal and at times when you sit there and watch him do his thing and run and take bounces, it’s pretty exciting to be a teammate.”
Merrett said the side was building after a poor opening two weeks which brought losses to Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda.
“The last four weeks we’ve probably played 12 or 13 quarters the way we wanted to play out of 16 so that’s been a positive,” Merrett said.
“We took some really good leanings out of those first two weeks and we’re starting to apply them pretty consistently now, but as we know footy’s a pretty tough game and Geelong’s a really tough opposition to play against.”
Merrett: Why I love playing with Shiel
– Chris Cavanagh
Essendon midfielder Zach Merrett has labelled Dylan Shiel’s impact at the club “phenomenal”.
Shiel drew criticism in the wake of last week’s Anzac Day loss to Collingwood for his ball use, recording a 45 per cent kicking efficiency from his 22 kicks.
Shiel’s overall kicking efficiency this season stands at 52.6 per cent — the sixth-worst of any Essendon player.
However, the 26-year-old ranks sixth in the competition for centre clearances (2.8 a game), 10th for total disposals (30.2 a game), 11th for metres gained (523.8 a game) and 16th for score involvements (seven a game).
“I’ve loved having Dylan, not only on game day, but since he arrived in November he’s been a super player and super friend as well,” Merrett said.
“So I’m very grateful that we got Dylan to the club. His ability on game day’s phenomenal and at times when you sit there and watch him do his thing and run and take bounces, it’s pretty exciting to be a teammate.”
Merrett said the side was building after a poor opening two weeks which brought losses to Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda.
“The last four weeks we’ve probably played 12 or 13 quarters the way we wanted to play out of 16 so that’s been a positive,” Merrett said.
“We took some really good leanings out of those first two weeks and we’re starting to apply them pretty consistently now, but as we know footy’s a pretty tough game and Geelong’s a really tough opposition to play against.”
SuperCoach rookie report card
It's trade season in SuperCoach!
Our cash cows have fattened up nicely and are ready to be sold, generating the cash to add more guns to our squad.
But which rookies are ready to go, who’s almost on the chopping block and who should we be holding? Get Al Paton's verdict on the 16 most popular rookies: http://bit.ly/2ULJZxS
Why we can't just ignore booing, what's wrong with the Dogs, whatever happened to prior opportunity and have the Swans dodged the blowtorch? Mark Robinson answers your questions on The Tackle for Round 6.
WATCH BELOW:
More bad injury news for Marcus Adams and the Lions, as Jon Ralph reports
Tackle TV
Why we can't just ignore booing, what's wrong with the Dogs, whatever happened to prior opportunity and have the Swans dodged the blowtorch? Mark Robinson answers your questions on The Tackle for Round 6.
WATCH BELOW:
Jack Riewoldt will head to the tribunal tomorrow to challenge a misconduct charge over his 'chicken-wing' tackle on Melbourne's Bayley Fritsch.
Riewoldt was offered a $1000 penalty with an early guilty plea after the incident during Wednesday's match was classified as a $1500 offence, but has opted to challenge the penalty.
The injured Richmond forward appeared to hold onto Fritsch's arm, pinning it behind his back.
"I think he realised…it's probably not the right position here and I think he pulled up at the right time. So, no issue for mine," said Wayne Carey in commentary.
Riewoldt is set to miss up to eight weeks with a PCL injury.
Riewoldt to challenge at tribunal
Jack Riewoldt will head to the tribunal tomorrow to challenge a misconduct charge over his 'chicken-wing' tackle on Melbourne's Bayley Fritsch.
Riewoldt was offered a $1000 penalty with an early guilty plea after the incident during Wednesday's match was classified as a $1500 offence, but has opted to challenge the penalty.
The injured Richmond forward appeared to hold onto Fritsch's arm, pinning it behind his back.
"I think he realised…it's probably not the right position here and I think he pulled up at the right time. So, no issue for mine," said Wayne Carey in commentary.
Riewoldt is set to miss up to eight weeks with a PCL injury.
Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton has revealed coach Alastair Clarkson's decade-long ban on players wearing long-sleeve jumpers.
Even star recruit Chad Wingard, who was known to don long sleeves during his time with Port Adelaide, has been subject to the conditions since joining the Hawks.
“Since I have been there you have never been allowed to wear the long sleevers. At least 10 years that has been his rule," Stratton said on Triple M.
Stratton said the rule had been in place since Clarkson became coach in 2005.
"It’s probably more a mindset thing than anything," he said.
"Those long sleevers look pretty tight on the arms so I couldn’t wear one."
Even without the sleeves, Wingard is sporting sleeves of a different kind with heavily tattooed arms that weren't evident when he was a Port last year.
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