RETIRING triple premiership player James Kelly has revealed details of a "devastating" conversation with coach Mark Thompson that turned around his career.
Kelly was dropped twice in 2006 after having, by his own admission, become pretty comfortable with himself in his fourth season.
When trade period came around, Kelly was nervous, and then a phone call from Thompson two minutes after the deadline put everything into perspective.
The coach's call was blunt: "'Could have traded ya ... the club could have been a better place without ya'," Kelly recalls 'Bomber' telling him.
"I was devastated, I was like 'who am I?'," Kelly tells this week's AFL Exchange podcast.
"I was really hurt by that.
"That really hit me, and from that point on I reckon I put my beer down and went for a run, I was like 'Now is the time'.
"That was a real pivotal moment in my career."
Also in the extended conversation Kelly says:
- He's open to being a senior coach one day, but it's not his initial focus
- Working with young players at Essendon crystallised his desire to move into coaching
- He feels a sense of a relief now the decision has been made
