West Coast drop Tim Kelly for Gather Round clash with Carlton
West Coast have made the bombshell decision to drop star midfielder and former All-Australian Tim Kelly.
As the struggling club prepares to take on Carlton this Saturday for a huge Gather Round clash, it has been confirmed that Kelly won’t take part.
Instead, the 2019 All-Australian will be playing in the WAFL.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“To paint the picture on just how bleak things are at West Coast, midfielder Tim Kelly is on the verge of being dropped for that clash at the Adelaide Oval,” Channel 7’s chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary said on Wednesday.
Kelly’s manager, from Empire sports Management, Anthony Van Der Wielen has confirmed the situation.
“He’s obviously disappointed about that but understands the decision and knows his form hasn’t been at the level he expects of himself,” Van Der Wielen said.
“He sees this as an opportunity to reset, build confidence, and hopefully push straight back into senior selection.
“Tim’s a proud player and a leader. One of the most driven and self-aware athletes I’ve worked with.
“He is very confident he can get back to his best form very soon.”
After the Eagles were thumped by the Giants last week, Kelly spent the week in Perth, flying home from Sydney for family reasons.
His teammates, however, flew direct to Adelaide for Gather Round.
West Coast players Jamie Cripps and Tyler Brockman also spent the week training in Perth because they all have young families.
High-flying forward Liam Ryan will fly out of Perth later this week to rejoin teammates ahead of the clash against the winless Blues.
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter conceded several senior Eagles were out of form to start the season.
“Tim is one of our senior players, but, unfortunately, a lot of our senior players are out of touch, so we’re just going to have to keep exploring ways to get these guys into form and support them as much as we can,” McQualter told 7NEWS on Monday night.
Kelly will play his first game WAFL game since he appeared in a preliminary final for South Fremantle in 2017.
Meanwhile, Carlton key forward Harry McKay is expected to return for the match after missing the past three games due to personal reasons.
“There’s confidence tonight at Carlton that Harry Mackay will return to face West Coast on Saturday,” Cleary said.
“That would be a big boost for (coach) Michael Voss and the Blues at zero and four.”
- With The West Australian
Originally published on 7NEWS Sport
