Tim Kelly prepared to stay in Geelong if West Coast deal stalls

MIDFIELDER Tim Kelly is prepared to front up as a Geelong player in mid-November if his West Coast Eagles deal falls through, aware his family won’t initially be with him.

Tim Kelly is prepared to stay in Geelong for another 12 months, initially without his family. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

TIM Kelly is prepared to front up as a Geelong player in mid-November if his West Coast deal falls through, aware his family won’t initially be with him.

Geelong list manager ­Stephen Wells was adamant today that “nothing has changed” in regard to the club’s request for a top-10 pick from West Coast.

The Eagles haven’t been able to trade picks 20 and 22 into an earlier selection.

Greater Western Sydney is likely to secure picks 9 and 11 tomorrow and the Giants shape as the Eagles last resort.

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Tim Kelly is prepared to stay in Geelong for another 12 months, initially without his family. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

Geelong feels Kelly, 24, has no desire to sit out of football for a year and will play for the Cats if the trade falls through.

In that scenario, Kelly would turn up for the pre-season and prepare for 2019 aware his partner and three children might not rejoin him until January.

Then they would spend nine months in Geelong before leaving again for a trade more likely to go through next year when he is uncontracted.

Kelly has been offered five years at West Coast on as much as $3 million given his linebreaking skills and ­penchant for kicking goals.

But as a second-year AFL player he is also on a set wage so could not cash in next year on the Eagles’ offer anyway.

As a player taken at pick 24 in the 2017 national draft his base wage was $85,000, he earned $92,000 in match payments for 23 games and a $12,000 bonus for playing more than 15 games.

Kelly with partner Caitlin Miller when he was drafted last year. Picture: The West Australian

In total under the collective bargaining agreement the former WAFL player would have collected $189,000.

Next year having played 23 games this year his base wage escalates to $120,000, paid $5000 per match and able to access a $12,000 bonus for playing more than 15 games.

If he played 23 games again he could make as much as $247,000 next year before he moved onto a five-year deal at West Coast.

Wells made clear it was not the Cats who needed to budge on the trade.

“Our position has been very clear all the way from the start of the trade period and at this stage nothing’s changed.

“We’ve got our value that we have on the trade in order for Tim Kelly — a fantastic young player in contract with us — to leave our club and West Coast will have their value on it as well.

Asked specifically if he expected a deal to get done, Wells said: “No, I don’t at this stage.”