AFL Player #29: Jake "Bull" Kelly 🐂

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2023: Claim here

 

[TheFrenchCut]

Yes truck

 

[Call Me Cake]

So after a majority of bad games we keep Heppell in the team but on the back of his best game for us we drop Kelly. This club is munted.

 

[Zach Package]

So after a majority of bad games we keep Heppell in the team but on the back of his best game for us we drop Kelly. This club is munted.

They are not playing the same position.

Hepp has been playing on a wing, Jake has been decidedly, not playing on a wing.

Pure horses for courses stuff.

 

[crackers65]

He will be very disappointed with this. McGrath needs to play well and not get re-injured.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

It's fair to get a look at this mix without him. The way we have been going at times has probably had too many poor kicks and/or just hoooooof it down the line merchants in the back 6/7 (Kelly, Laverde, Zerk and before his move to wing, Heppell).

We're now looking at a mix with Ridley, Redman, Hind, McGrath, D'Ambrosio all being either good to very good kicks. Love that they're spreading the attacking rebound responsibility with McGrath swinging back, D'Ambrosio entering the equation, and Redman playing his best footy. It's no longer Hind's sole responsibility which is making him play better again too.

And Ridley, Redman, and McGrath are all very capable defensively.

 

[Call Me Cake]

They are not playing the same position.

Hepp has been playing on a wing, Jake has been decidedly, not playing on a wing.

Pure horses for courses stuff.

I wasn't speaking like for like, I was speaking metaphorically and on principle. The standards we set are not consistent.

 

[isthisit13]

Blitz will be rejoicing tonight.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Just been too much of a liability with ball in hand. Given up a few the other way too in recent weeks.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Just been too much of a liability with ball in hand. Given up a few the other way too in recent weeks.

Didn't he have 100% disposal efficiency last week or the week before?

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Didn't he have 100% disposal efficiency last week or the week before?

Liability in the options he can take. If we have a fast counter option he can’t hit it. He has to go short and easy. Often building pressure on the side as he’s allowing them to set up defensive zones while he slows play and waits for them to get back so the loose pocket is free.

 

[Jobe Watson]

So are we allowed to criticise Kelly on this forum again?

 

[Duckworth]

So are we allowed to criticise Kelly on this forum again?

Do you have an alt account where you have been critical of him? It's a bit of a strange comment. Do you have a post that you were referring to?

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Liability in the options he can take. If we have a fast counter option he can’t hit it. He has to go short and easy. Often building pressure on the side as he’s allowing them to set up defensive zones while he slows play and waits for them to get back so the loose pocket is free.

Spot on. I cringe every time I see us use him in a switch or link up from the backline. He’s a pure stopper or he’s useless in our back 6.

 

[Jobe Watson]

Do you have an alt account where you have been critical of him? It's a bit of a strange comment. Do you have a post that you were referring to?

Just that a lot of talk throughout the year regarding Kelly's deficiencies seemed to end in a response of "Kelly is not going to get dropped", as if even discussing his spot and value to our team was silly. Now that Kelly has actually been dropped, and isn't the lock that people thought, maybe we can reanalyse what he actually brings to our team.

I've been critical of him throughout the season. I don't think he's a great 1v1 defender, doesn't provide much on attack, hasn't freed up Ridley the way we thought he would, and is often caught out of position on quick opposition turnovers (pushes too far up the ground when we have the ball, though this may be a directive from the coaches because Ridley does it too). He's been decent the last 3 weeks but I think the line-ups this week prove he's replaceable. Long term, where does he fit in the defence with BZT/Reid/Brand, Laverde, Ridley, McGrath, Hind, Redman, D'Ambrosio?

 

[Bombers36]

I dont rate Kelly, questioned why we recruited him in the 1st place, and think his first dozen games for us have been average at best. He's a slow decision maker, lacks pace/spark and seems to always take the easy option when passing the ball... BUT his last 2 - 3 games have been decent and there were some positive signs there...The problem is he's behind Lav, Hind, Ridley, McGrath & Redman and with the emergence of D'Ambrosio there's only so many players you can fit into defence - thats not to mention Heppell, Zerk, Reid etc
Im hoping he becomes a depth player by the years end as he's a solid back up option/bit player - I just dont see him as starting 22 in a side that wants to push up the ladder over coming years...

 

[ant555]

I dont rate Kelly, questioned why we recruited him in the 1st place, and think his first dozen games for us have been average at best. He's a slow decision maker, lacks pace/spark and seems to always take the easy option when passing the ball... BUT his last 2 - 3 games have been decent and there were some positive signs there...The problem is he's behind Lav, Hind, Ridley, McGrath & Redman and with the emergence of D'Ambrosio there's only so many players you can fit into defence - thats not to mention Heppell, Zerk, Reid etc
Im hoping he becomes a depth player by the years end as he's a solid back up option/bit player - I just dont see him as starting 22 in a side that wants to push up the ladder over coming years...

It was very easy to see why we picked him up. We are a side that wants to get back to blue collar footy and he is a blue collar player that can bring a workman attitude to the club . It is just as much about changing culture as it is on the field. He was never going to be a player that will change the game and he was most likely going to be a more short term option. We will need more of his character coming and going in the next 5 years to change what has been a very soft me culture that has taken over the club since 2000.
Despite his playing limits he sets a standard in the way he goes about his footy and his attitude. The young blokes see his hard edge and know that is what they have to produce to take his place.

 

[ant555]

Liability in the options he can take. If we have a fast counter option he can’t hit it. He has to go short and easy. Often building pressure on the side as he’s allowing them to set up defensive zones while he slows play and waits for them to get back so the loose pocket is free.

I have been keeping a few notes on him when I have been at games and he is not as bad as people say he is. What he will not do is try and take a poor high risk option. What does happen is more than 60% of the time there are no quick options to go to. If you look at last weeks game he was no slower at moving the ball on than Ridley or BZK. What people see is the sideways stuff because they are the first options that present. You can not kick to something that is not there. If he has a forward target he will take it. What he does not do anymore which he did do at the crows is taking on risky options through the middle that end up in massive turnovers. This is something the defense as a whole has been told not to do.

 

[Duckworth]

Just that a lot of talk throughout the year regarding Kelly's deficiencies seemed to end in a response of "Kelly is not going to get dropped", as if even discussing his spot and value to our team was silly. Now that Kelly has actually been dropped, and isn't the lock that people thought, maybe we can reanalyse what he actually brings to our team.

I've been critical of him throughout the season. I don't think he's a great 1v1 defender, doesn't provide much on attack, hasn't freed up Ridley the way we thought he would, and is often caught out of position on quick opposition turnovers (pushes too far up the ground when we have the ball, though this may be a directive from the coaches because Ridley does it too). He's been decent the last 3 weeks but I think the line-ups this week prove he's replaceable. Long term, where does he fit in the defence with BZT/Reid/Brand, Laverde, Ridley, McGrath, Hind, Redman, D'Ambrosio?

To be fair to those saying he wouldn't be dropped, they've been correct more than they've been wrong (especially when there were injuries among the defenders, suggesting Kelly would be dropped was a bit silly). Maybe he ends up as a sub this week. I think D'Ambrosio forcing his way into the side and BZT finding some good form as a KPD has meant something had to give. Also, Rutten prioritising the run out of defence.

Being critical of Kelly is fine IMO. I probably wouldn't have opened with his 1v1 defending though. The slow decision-making in transition out of defence is a deficiency, although that can be due to teammates not making position as well.

 

[Jobe Watson]

I probably wouldn't have opened with his 1v1 defending though.

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure I saw a stat that he had the 2nd worst 1v1 contest win % in the league at one point this season.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Kicking is not good enough for undersized defender.

It's been exposed a fair bit this year.

He now becomes depth imo.

 

[Duckworth]

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure I saw a stat that he had the 2nd worst 1v1 contest win % in the league at one point this season.

Could be right, I'm just going off my eyes watching the games. I agree with your other criticisms. He would increase his value to the team if he could hit a quick pass into the middle or generate more run out of the backline. Based on that, it is probably D'Ambrosio that has forced him out of the team.

Will probably be back in pretty quickly though, as soon as we have an injury.

 

[ant555]

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure I saw a stat that he had the 2nd worst 1v1 contest win % in the league at one point this season.

He still is at about 40% loss rate. This is the actual one on one contests. No third man in or players out on a leads or defensive spoils where a player comes from behind or the side and spoils his direct opponent. It is actual body on body one on one contests.
Last year he went at 16.9% loss so he has fallen away in actual one on one contests. Probably why he is out and BZK stays in and McGrath plays back.

 

[Bombers36]

He gets a reprieve with Redman out...!!!

 

[WindyHillWarrior]

Bit stiff

TMI

 

[eth-dog]

Charlie Cameron

23

Charlie Cameron

Age

29

Ht

180cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

8.4

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.2

5star

G

1.5

5star

D

9.6

2star

K

7.9

3star

HB

1.7

1star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.7

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

9.6

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

4.2

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.2

4star

1 goal, when he was off the field. Fair effort.