GREATER Western Sydney midfielder Josh Kelly is the latest star to turn his back on rival clubs after signing a new deal with the Giants.
Kelly, who was heavily courted by a number of opposition clubs including North Melbourne, St Kilda and Carlton, has committed to the Giants for a further two years until at least the end of 2019.
The Kangaroos came at the Victorian hardest, reportedly tempting him with a multi-year, mutli-million dollar contract, but the 22-year-old has remained loyal to GWS.
In a breakout season Kelly has averaged 29.6 possessions, 6.4 tackles and five clearances per game, and has excelled since his move to a more permanent role in the midfield after starting his career as a wingman.
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Named All Australian for the first time earlier this month, Kelly said he never really looked into the specifics of offers to play elsewhere, but it was a "surreal" feeling when the large figures started to be thrown around mid-season.
"I did have to think about it a couple of times, but this is where I want to play my footy," he said.
"I’m not sure if (the big offers) delayed anything but it was something that I just had to consider, and whether I actually seriously thought about leaving I'm not too sure.
"I've got family and a lot of good friends in Melbourne so it made me consider my options, but I tried to sweep it to the side and focus on my footy.
"There was a few passing jokes from teammates here and there but it was never something I was overwhelmed with.
Kelly said he's known for some time that his football future was at GWS, but he was never in a rush to make the call, or pressured by the Giants to commit to the club before he was ready.
"It's probably something I've been sitting on for a while now, I just wanted to see how my mindset was," he said.
"It just felt right to get it out of the way now and focus on footy going forward, and hopefully that’s another two weeks."
Kelly, a favourite to win his first club champion award this season, might have kept his cool while the footy world debated his contract status, but GWS general manager of football Wayne Campbell admitted to having some nerves as the weeks dragged on.
"He's proved to be an elite decision-maker on the field, but off the field he can procrastinate a little bit," Campbell joked.
"No, we've said all along we were reasonably confident (he would sign on), but it's an enormous decision for Josh.
"To re-commit to us is an outstanding testament to him as a character, but also for where we feel we're going as a footy club."
Kelly joins Dylan Shiel, Stephen Coniglio, Jeremy Cameron, Jon Patton and Lachie Whitfield, as well as a host of other Giants to have recently pledged their loyalty to GWS despite receiving plenty of interest from the rest of the competition.
Josh Kelly! Will that be enough for the Giants? #AFLGiantsFreo pic.twitter.com/cd8nnOE81s
— AFL (@AFL) July 29, 2017
He said his closest friends at the Giants have been a massive help throughout the process.
"To have the ability to have those conversations and have them express their views beyond what's best for the football club, and what's best for me, was great," he said.
Saturday's preliminary final against Richmond will see Kelly cross paths with Dustin Martin, another gun onballer whose contract negotiations have dominated the headlines in 2017.
Kelly said there's a fair chance the pair will give each other a wink at some stage while their teams slug it out on the MCG for a spot in this year's Grand Final.
"We had a funny chat at the All Australian dinner a couple of weeks ago when it was all still going on," he joked.
"We were discussing the challenges of the year and the media circus, but he's a star and I look forward to seeing him out there."