Tim Kelly Admits to Falling Out of Love with Footy Amid Eagles’ Struggles
West Coast midfielder Tim Kelly has made a candid admission, revealing that he has struggled to maintain his passion for football in recent years. The 30-year-old’s revelation comes amid the Eagles’ prolonged slump in form, ongoing contract negotiations, and battles with injuries.
Kelly, whose contract with West Coast expires at the end of the 2025 season, acknowledged that he is currently focused on “falling back in love with the game.” Rumors circulated during the trade period suggesting a potential move to the Eagles’ rivals, Fremantle, but Kelly remained with West Coast.
Despite his commitment to the club, doubts persist regarding the 2019 All-Australian’s future. Reports from The West Australian indicate that Kelly and the Eagles have yet to initiate discussions about a contract extension for the midfielder, who joined the team from Geelong in 2020.
When questioned about his contract situation ahead of this week’s Indigenous All-Stars match, the 2023 John Worsfold medallist opened up about the challenges he has faced in recent years.
“It is probably something that’ll work itself out, my manager (Anthony Van Der Wielen) works pretty hard in that space,” Kelly said regarding the possibility of securing a new deal. “To be honest, for me, it’s about honing in on what I’ve got to do, get my body right… my love of the game hasn’t been great over the last couple of years.”
Kelly emphasized his desire to rediscover his passion for football, stating, “There’s a lot of contract talk and this and that but I’m just trying to love the game again. And hopefully that comes.”
The midfielder also revealed that he played through a knee injury for the majority of last season, making 20 appearances and scoring four goals.
West Coast’s struggles have been well-documented, with the team failing to finish outside the bottom three in the AFL ladder in their last three seasons and managing to win only 10 games.
