AFL Player #29: Jake "Bull" Kelly 🐂

[Lore]

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

 

[Mercurial89]

I normally don't get stuck into role players like Jake...but twice in front of me he was corralled towards the boundary line and refused to kick right footed down the line. Turned back into trouble trying to get onto his left and stuffed it. Don't understand how professionals can only use one side for kicking.

You seen what's being drafted?
They don't even need to be able to kick or handball these days.

 

[ant555]

You seen what's being drafted?
They don't even need to be able to kick or handball these days.

There is a whole other conversation to be had on this but it is not for the Jake Kelly thread. All I will say is you can only draft what is available and what is available is often not developed enough early on.

 

[Mercurial89]

There is a whole other conversation to be had on this but it is not for the Jake Kelly thread. All I will say is you can only draft what is available and what is available is often not developed enough early on.

I think it's a blight on coaching and what is valued for the league that the core skill of the sport is not developed or drafted for.
I mean I get why it isn't, why do it when you can just run and make the AFL.

For the supposed peak of the sport, to earn what they earn and get the status they get, to not have basic skills, it's laughable.

 

[Phone]

let's be real here. for the most part, right-footers need to be able to kick on the other foot.

and with the lefties we just accept that they won't be using the right

 

[eth-dog]

let's be real here. for the most part, right-footers need to be able to kick on the other foot.

and with the lefties we just accept that they won't be using the right

Unless you're Simon Black

 

[fairbump_playon]

Not a bad defender apparently

 

[ant555]

Not a bad defender apparently

Just like Langford's goal kicking you can slip out of form.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Just like Langford's goal kicking you can slip out of form.

You sure can

Kelly’s best game was spent blanketing Toby G.

He’s played a role up the ground this year because we needed him to but really he’s a negating defender.

 

[srobbo]

Unless he has a specific lock down role down back that he can focus on, he shouldn’t be in the side & should never be forward of HB….ever. He was diabolical Sunday night.

 

[Yoda_]

Unpopular opinion bit he was one of our best in the first half.

For a very limited player you can understand why he gets a game. Does his role sticks to his role, does all the team things.
His howlers stick out but he does so much basic simple stuff well

 

[MiguelM]

He is a lockdown player. That is his thing.

Hill is one of the pies most dangerous players and was hardly sighted.

Jones revelation on the wing with Dursma back on the other allows us to use Kelly to his strengths.

 

[ghostdog]

Unpopular opinion bit he was one of our best in the first half.

For a very limited player you can understand why he gets a game. Does his role sticks to his role, does all the team things.
His howlers stick out but he does so much basic simple stuff well

I thought Kelly was solid tonight. Had Bobby Hill contained for a bit.
Did anyone else notice the skill to pull the kick near the attacking fifty arc? Such a soft touch off the boot to land the kick. Very unKelly like...
Or just the new Kelly.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

His 1v1 defending is good but his kicking/movement is and will always be the liability.

IMO either he plays or Laverde does. McKay already isn't a great kick. Modern defences can't have 3/6 roulette spins for bad kicks, and make it 4 when Heppell plays. Statistically that will be our downfall in the long run.

 

[ant555]

His 1v1 defending is good but his kicking/movement is and will always be the liability.

IMO either he plays or Laverde does. McKay already isn't a great kick. Modern defences can't have 3/6 roulette spins for bad kicks, and make it 4 when Heppell plays. Statistically that will be our downfall in the long run.

Long term you really do not want Kelly or Laverde or Heppell.
I think Kelly gets criticized more than he should as far as ball movement goes as often there is nothing forward when he has the ball and unlike at the Crows he no longer tries to do something outside his lane so he holds it up. There is a bloke who sits two rows back from me at Marvel who is forever yelling for Kelly to move it. Mrs Ant had enough the other week and yelled who do you want him to kick it to ? the 3 on one down the line ?
Yes he is slow and steady on ball movement and yes we need to get some speed into the back half and yes he misses 2 or 3 chances to play fast footy a week but IMO he also gets hounded for doing the right thing at times and not doing a McGrath and just running off blindly or kicking blindly.

 

[Howard Moon]

Long term you really do not want Kelly or Laverde or Heppell.
I think Kelly gets criticized more than he should as far as ball movement goes as often there is nothing forward when he has the ball and unlike at the Crows he no longer tries to do something outside his lane so he holds it up. There is a bloke who sits two rows back from me at Marvel who is forever yelling for Kelly to move it. Mrs Ant had enough the other week and yelled who do you want him to kick it to ? the 3 on one down the line ?
Yes he is slow and steady on ball movement and yes we need to get some speed into the back half and yes he misses 2 or 3 chances to play fast footy a week but IMO he also gets hounded for doing the right thing at times and not doing a McGrath and just running off blindly or kicking blindly.

Yeh, but.... Lots of times after he hatches it he goes long down the line anyway when there is opportunity to go back and across for a switch.

 

[ant555]

Yeh, but.... Lots of times after he hatches it he goes long down the line anyway when there is opportunity to go back and across for a switch.

My view is when you become the whipping boy people focus on what you do wrong to the point it becomes obsessive and the same standards are not applied to everyone. What is better / worse ? trying to play fast footy and kicking at 50% or staying in your lane and kicking at 75% plus ?.
He does not play fast footy but his kicking efficiency until this year has been 75% plus and even this year it is 73% so he is not turning it over a lot.
I do not think he has been as good this year and he is not in my future side but he is not as bad as people say he is. Yes he does miss some opportunities for sure but watching live you can see that a lot of the time he actually does have to hold it as there is nothing to kick to. A lot of the time he becomes the outlet kick as he is the only bloke who has made position so the easy kick is to him. Then he has no where to go. The issue is when the next kick is beyond what he can do so he does not take it. Maybe others need to have the same game sense to be the out let player.

 

[Howard Moon]

My view is when you become the whipping boy people focus on what you do wrong to the point it becomes obsessive and the same standards are not applied to everyone. What is better / worse ? trying to play fast footy and kicking at 50% or staying in your lane and kicking at 75% plus ?.
He does not play fast footy but his kicking efficiency until this year has been 75% plus and even this year it is 73% so he is not turning it over a lot.
I do not think he has been as good this year and he is not in my future side but he is not as bad as people say he is. Yes he does miss some opportunities for sure but watching live you can see that a lot of the time he actually does have to hold it as there is nothing to kick to. A lot of the time he becomes the outlet kick as he is the only bloke who has made position so the easy kick is to him. Then he has no where to go. The issue is when the next kick is beyond what he can do so he does not take it. Maybe others need to have the same game sense to be the out let player.

I'd say last night his role was the exact thing we brought him in for and he was fine, however the past few months have been a waste of time and space. Coaches preach horses for courses, it should apply here too, he either has a lockdown opponent or he goes back to the VFL and waits for the next assignment in the 1s

 

[ant555]

I'd say last night his role was the exact thing we brought him in for and he was fine, however the past few months have been a waste of time and space. Coaches preach horses for courses, it should apply here too, he either has a lockdown opponent or he goes back to the VFL and waits for the next assignment in the 1s

Agree he has been on the down slope this year. I would have happily left him out and looking to next year and beyond I want to see someone who can defend but also has some ability to break the lines playing half back . I just think that people see some stuff that annoys them and it becomes magnified. He is often no worse than anyone else at holding the footy up .

 

[Vander18]

Coaches preach horses for courses,

…..but in reality are mostly terrified of playing anything other than their notional “best 22”.

Totally agree that Kelly is value in a lock down role - play him when we need that but look at other options when we don’t.

In general, I think coaches are too reluctant to play the group that gives them the best chance of winning a given game. It’s a weird AFL thing that most are so wedded to a “best 22.” Playing 1 ruck or 2 and resting old
Blokes is seemingly the extent of their willingness to explore tactical selection.

 

[Howard Moon]

…..but in reality are mostly terrified of playing anything other than their notional “best 22”.

Totally agree that Kelly is value in a lock down role - play him when we need that but look at other options when we don’t.

In general, I think coaches are too reluctant to play the group that gives them the best chance of winning a given game. It’s a weird AFL thing that most are so wedded to a “best 22.” Playing 1 ruck or 2 and resting old
Blokes is seemingly the extent of their willingness to explore tactical selection.

Last night was the first time we played the best team for the game, so we had to go through the 'managed' diatribe to justify Goldy or Hepps. They can be dropped, good teams drop people it's part of a team ethos and process

 

[fairbump_playon]

Last night was the first time we played the best team for the game, so we had to go through the 'managed' diatribe to justify Goldy or Hepps. They can be dropped, good teams drop people it's part of a team ethos and process

Yeah but it’s our ethos that no one feels bad

I heard Hepp and Goldy each had a low GI fruit basket delivered to their houses with a “get picked soon” card hand signed by Brad

 

[bombreys]

The wing experiment has to end, is just a far better defender

 

[Rick Ross]

Ideally Jake is fringe AFL - bought in to play a role like lock down defender when McGrath isn’t right / is playing another role.

I remember the year before we traded for him we got torched repeatedly by small forwards. Charlie Cameron

23

Charlie Cameron

Age

30

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

game still gives me nightmares. Nice having our reamed by a small forward ratio* improve from 14th in league to 4th.

Don’t get injured, can be a swing around a bit… he’s the kind of guy teams need on their books playing 50% vfl.
Hope we re contract him on that basis.




*You have to subscribe to champion data for this one.

 

[mcgrath_truther]

Ideally Jake is fringe AFL - bought in to play a role like lock down defender when McGrath isn’t right / is playing another role.

I remember the year before we traded for him we got torched repeatedly by small forwards. Charlie Cameron game still gives me nightmares. Nice having our reamed by a small forward ratio* improve from 14th in league to 4th.

Don’t get injured, can be a swing around a bit… he’s the kind of guy teams need on their books playing 50% vfl.
Hope we re contract him on that basis.




*You have to subscribe to champion data for this one.

he's a good bottom 6 player - tough nut and a role player

 

[Hird05]

Agree he has been on the down slope this year. I would have happily left him out and looking to next year and beyond I want to see someone who can defend but also has some ability to break the lines playing half back . I just think that people see some stuff that annoys them and it becomes magnified. He is often no worse than anyone else at holding the footy up .