James Kelly (born 29 December 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
James Kelly | |||
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![]() Kelly playing in June 2017. | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | James Kelly | ||
Nickname(s) | Kell, Pops, The Custodian[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1983-12-29) 29 December 1983 (age 38) | ||
Place of birth | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||
Original team(s) |
Calder Cannons (TAC Cup) Rupertswood (RDFL) | ||
Draft | No. 17, 2001 national draft | ||
Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Half Back / Midfielder | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2002–2015 | Geelong | 273 (88) | |
2016–2017 | Essendon | 040 0(2) | |
Total | 313 (90) | ||
Representative team honours | |||
Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
2008 | Victoria | 1 (0) | |
International team honours | |||
2011 | Australia | 2 (0) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2017. 2 State and international statistics correct as of 2008. | |||
Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Since 2001, Kelly has played with the Geelong Football Club. Playing as an on-baller in the powerful midfield, he has shown capability in gaining many possessions and running well, as well as showing great courage. Kelly, is a natural born leader who has played a pivotal role in Geelong's dominant era, one of only twelve players to play in all three of Geelong's recent premierships.[2]
He was a member of Geelong's 2006 NAB Cup Premiership team, as well as the drought-breaking 2007 AFL Premiership Team. He was also a member of Geelong's losing side in the 2008 Grand Final and their victorious sides in the 2009 and 2011 Grand Finals. He was delisted at the end of the 2015 AFL season, despite averaging 20.5 disposals in 17 games,[3] he subsequently retired from the AFL before signing with the Essendon Football Club in January 2016 as a top-up player in the wake of the club's supplements scandal.[4] Under the player top-up rules, he was delisted at the conclusion of the 2016 season,[5] however, in November he re-signed with Essendon during the delisted free agency period.[6] On 16 August 2017, Kelly retired from playing AFL after 313 games with Geelong and Essendon.
Kelly joined the Essendon coaching staff for the 2018 season and remained there for three years, retiring in February, 2021.[7]
Kelly re-joined Geelong as an assistant coach for the 2022 season[8]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
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G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
2002 | Geelong | 9 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 137 | 85 | 222 | 41 | 49 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 9.1 | 5.7 | 14.8 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
2003 | Geelong | 9 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 129 | 109 | 238 | 43 | 55 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 13.2 | 2.4 | 3.1 |
2004 | Geelong | 9 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 151 | 84 | 235 | 48 | 41 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 11.6 | 6.5 | 18.1 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
2005 | Geelong | 9 | 24 | 13 | 7 | 254 | 178 | 432 | 95 | 83 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 10.6 | 7.4 | 18.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
2006 | Geelong | 9 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 134 | 119 | 253 | 48 | 40 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 8.9 | 7.9 | 16.9 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
2007 | Geelong | 9 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 201 | 246 | 447 | 85 | 84 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 19.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
2008 | Geelong | 9 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 196 | 232 | 428 | 95 | 112 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 9.3 | 11.0 | 20.4 | 4.5 | 5.3 |
2009 | Geelong | 9 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 195 | 212 | 407 | 88 | 55 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 22.6 | 4.9 | 3.1 |
2010 | Geelong | 9 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 257 | 301 | 558 | 87 | 140 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 11.2 | 13.1 | 24.3 | 3.8 | 6.1 |
2011 | Geelong | 9 | 24 | 5 | 12 | 319 | 258 | 577 | 62 | 186 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 13.3 | 10.8 | 24.0 | 2.6 | 7.8 |
2012 | Geelong | 9 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 257 | 213 | 470 | 59 | 128 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 13.5 | 11.2 | 24.7 | 3.1 | 6.7 |
2013 | Geelong | 9 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 234 | 202 | 436 | 50 | 153 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 11.7 | 10.1 | 21.8 | 2.5 | 7.7 |
2014 | Geelong | 9 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 312 | 176 | 488 | 113 | 89 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 13.6 | 7.6 | 21.2 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
2015 | Geelong | 9 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 185 | 163 | 348 | 80 | 71 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 20.5 | 4.7 | 4.2 |
2016 | Essendon | 47 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 268 | 238 | 506 | 129 | 86 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 13.4 | 11.9 | 25.3 | 6.5 | 4.3 |
2017 | Essendon | 47 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 196 | 405 | 115 | 74 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | 9.8 | 20.3 | 5.8 | 3.7 |
Career | 313 | 90 | 89 | 3438 | 3012 | 6450 | 1238 | 1446 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 11.0 | 9.6 | 20.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
In 2008, Kelly was an ambassador for an anti-alcohol-fuelled violence campaign run by the Geelong Advertiser titled "Just Think".[10] In this role, Kelly appeared in advertising alongside fellow ambassadors, and Geelong teammates, Tom Harley and David Wojcinski.[10]
AFL
Geelong
TAC Cup
Geelong Football Club 2007 AFL premiers | |
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Coach: Thompson |
Geelong Football Club 2009 AFL premiers | |
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Coach: Thompson |
Geelong Football Club 2011 AFL premiers | |
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Coach: Scott |
2011 All-Australian team | |
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Full-back |
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Half-back |
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Centre |
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Half-forward |
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Full-forward |
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Ruck |
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Interchange |
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Coach |
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← 2010 The position of coach in the All-Australian team has been awarded to the coach of the premiership-winning team since 1999. 2012 → |
Victorian Team – 2008 Hall of Fame Tribute Match | |
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2002 AFL Rising Star nominees | |
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Italics denote winner |
Jim Stynes Medal winners | |
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Australian squad – 2011 International Rules Series | ||
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Coach: Eade |