Will Kelly (Australian footballer)

Will Kelly (born 16 August 2000) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Son of Craig Kelly, who played for Collingwood in the VFL/AFL, he played for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup before he was drafted with pick 29 in 2018 under the father–son rule.

Will Kelly
Personal information
Date of birth	(2000-08-16) 16 August 2000 (age 25)
Original team(s)	Oakleigh Chargers
Draft	No. 29, 2018 AFL draft, Collingwood
Debut	10 July 2020, Collingwood vs. Hawthorn, at GIANTS Stadium
Height	194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s)	Defender
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2019–2023	Collingwood	5 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Junior and state football

Kelly played junior football for the Glen Iris Gladiators in the Yarra Junior Football League, making over 100 appearances for them.^[1] He played at his school, Scotch College, mostly as a forward.^[2] Kelly also played under-18s football for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup, before getting selected by Collingwood.^[3] In 2017, he played only one game for Oakleigh Chargers.^[3] The next year he found his niche and helped lead the Oakleigh Chargers to the Grand Final,^[3] which they lost to the Dandenong Stingrays by four points.^[4] He played his last four games of the season with a stress fracture in his ankle.^[5] His performance also led to him representing Vic Metro in the 2018 AFL Under 18 Championships,^[6] playing all four games.^[3] During the 2019 AFL season, his first season on Collingwood's books, Kelly made four appearances with the club's Victorian Football League (VFL) side.^[7]

AFL career

Kelly was drafted by Collingwood with the 29th draft pick in the 2018 AFL draft, under the father–son rule,^[5] with Collingwood matching Adelaide's bid.^[8] Like team-mates Josh Daicos and Callum Brown, Kelly decided not to wear his father's guernsey number, picking a new number.^[9] Kelly debuted for Collingwood in Round 6 of the 2020 AFL season, in the club's 32-point victory over Hawthorn.^[10][11] collecting five disposals and kicking a goal.^[12] Unfortunately he dislocated his elbow, and missed the rest of the season.^[13][14] In October 2023, he was delisted by the club, having played only five games in five seasons.^[15]

Playing style

Kelly is an athletic tall defender who can play one-on-one and negate his opponent. He has modelled his game on Collingwood team-mate, Jeremy Howe.^[5]

Personal life

Kelly is the son of former Collingwood premiership player Craig Kelly.^[7][16] His brother, Jake, played football in the Australian Football League after Collingwood passed on drafting him.^[17][18]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2023 season.^[19]

Legend

G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks

Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)
				G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2019	Collingwood	27	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2020[a]	Collingwood	27	1	1	1	4	1	5	2	0	1.0	1.0	4.0	1.0	5.0	2.0	0.0
2021	Collingwood	20	2	0	0	6	5	11	4	0	0.0	0.0	3.0	2.5	5.5	2.0	0.0
2022	Collingwood	20	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2023	Collingwood	20	2	0	0	9	4	13	6	2	0.0	0.0	4.5	2.0	6.5	3.0	1.0
Career			5	1	1	19	10	29	12	2	0.2	0.2	3.8	2.0	5.8	2.4	0.4

Notes

1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.