A SPECTACULAR performance from Tim Kelly on Friday night will have the West Australian teams salivating about the prospect of luring him, but Geelong coach Chris Scott has declared it's no fait accompli the star midfielder will leave.
Kelly burst on to the scene as a mature-age draftee last season and sought a move to West Coast and while the Cats negotiated with the Eagles, they refused to let him go.
The 24-year-old didn't want to go to Fremantle then but that has since changed, as reported by AFL.com.au earlier this month.
Kelly was best-on-ground in Geelong's upset seven-point win over Grand Finalist Collingwood on Friday night, racking up 31 disposals, nine clearances, six inside 50s and two goal assists.
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He comes out of contract at season's end and with three young children, the temptation is there for the onballer to go home, where he will have more family support.
However, Scott quashed the idea Kelly was certain to leave when speaking to Melbourne radio station SEN on Saturday.
"Anyone that thinks it's a foregone conclusion that Tim Kelly is going to leave Geelong is mistaken," Scott said.
"I'd probably repeat the comments that Tim's made already publicly, that none of us can predict the future. He's really driven to win a premiership with Geelong.
"Our list management team will work really hard on getting a good result for the club."
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Scott expects Kelly to be a Cat for a long time.
"I think the best result for the Geelong footy club is for Tim to have a great year. He started it pretty well. He was the best player on the ground, in my view, last night," Scott said.
"I am very, very optimistic that he'll be a Geelong player for a long time."
