THERE weren’t too many rounds during last season that the contract status of Greater Western Sydney star Josh Kelly wasn’t being heavily discussed in the football media.

Kelly won All Australian selection and his first best and fairest at GWS in 2018 despite constant talk of him receiving multi-million dollar offers to leave Sydney, and fellow Giant Jacob Hopper was happy to see his housemate’s future being talked about so frequently.

It wasn’t that Hopper wanted to see his buddy under pressure, he just figured that the media focus on Kelly would help speculation over his own footy future slip into the background. 

The 21-year-old was also due to come out of contract at the end of last season, and when he missed 11 games during the middle of the year with finger and ankle injuries, a new deal was the last thing he wanted to think about.

In the end both midfielders re-committed to the Giants in September, and Hopper told AFL.com.au that he was more than happy for Kelly to hog the spotlight during the season. 

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"I’m not going to lie, it was a good thing Josh was in the headlines so much because he probably took a couple of bullets for me," Hopper said with a laugh.

"I was injured for such a large chunk of the year and I didn’t want to make a decision when I wasn’t in the greatest headspace, given I was plugging away in rehab.

"Once I started playing again, it wasn’t a hard decision to sign on. 

"Josh’s situation was obviously more enhanced than mine but it was good to have some discussions with him about it and have that support there.

"We pulled some articles up every now and then about him and had a bit of a giggle about it and I think that banter helped as well." 

Hopper is yet to get an extended run at senior level despite a blistering debut in 2016 that saw him gather 32 possessions against Gold Coast in round eight that year.

A lower back injury caused him to miss multiple games later that season and the issue still requires constant monitoring, but a hiccup-free summer looks to have him well placed to deliver on his enormous promise.

The hard nut, who does his best work around stoppages, has continued to shadow Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward during the pre-season, and hopes to not only win himself more midfield time this year, but increase his impact on games. 

"I think 'Cogs' and 'Wardy' are elite inside midfielders who can get out and use the ball well, so those two are great to work with,” he said. 

"I just have to continue to learn my craft and build my confidence and show the boys that when I go in there I can really have an influence."

As a bigger-bodied onballer with height and good hands overhead, Hopper is also hoping to resume his quest to become more creative as a forward this year.

"You’ve got to have that versatility in your game and it was something we were working on early last year, but then I got injured again," he said. 

"Being more dangerous as a forward is definitely something I want to add to my game.

"I don’t think you can view it as having a rest when you go forward these days, players have to be able to play dual positions and have just as much impact inside 50 as they do in the guts."