It could be another JK Rowling best seller. Titled something like ‘Tim Kelly and the half-told truth.’

Or maybe Mark Twain? ‘Reports of giving up the farm are greatly exaggerated.’

Whoever the author, whatever the title there has been a liberal sprinkling of fiction attached to a story that has been based on real life events.

Since the deal to bring Kelly back to his home State by the West Coast Eagles via a trade from Geelong in 2019 it has been widely espoused that the Eagles paid over the odds for the star midfielder.

That’s clearly subjective but has been skewed because generally the full picture has not been presented.

The inference, broadly, has been that the Cats received two first round and two second round draft picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts. For those selections the Eagles received Kelly.

But that’s only part of the story. It has suited the narrative of those peddling the perception that the Kelly deal has created a dearth of young talent at the Eagles. [The debate about the club’s emerging youngsters can wait for another day.]

For now, let’s just tackle the less salacious and often ignored facts surrounding this much talked-about trade.

Hope your sugar levels are up and you’re sitting somewhere quiet, this will require full concentration.

In addition to Kelly, the Eagles also received two third round draft selections in return from Geelong, one in the 2019 ballot (#52) and the other in 2020 (#60).

With #52 (eventually #49) in the 2019 ballot, the Eagles secured emerging key position/ruckman Callum Jamieson from Claremont. He made his senior debut a few weeks ago.

In the 2020 exchange period, Port and Sydney became entangled in this plot through a twist that is mostly ignored or over-looked. You see the AFL trade period rarely presents a straight-forward transaction.

The Eagles bundled up selection 60 received from Geelong in the Kelly deal with pick 34, together with Tom Hickey. These selections were traded to the Swans in exchange for Sydney’s 2020 picks 58 and 62 in the 2020 ballot, Port Adelaide’s 2021 second selection and Sydney’s 2021 third selection.

With pick 58 (eventually #52) in the 2020 draft the Eagles secured exciting young midfielder Luke Edwards. He has already played 11 games and looks every bit an AFL player.

Pick 62 (eventually #57) was used to lock in exciting young forward Isiah Winder, who is developing nicely and has also played senior football.

The Port Adelaide second selection in the 2021 ballot (#37) was used to draft developing tall defender Rhett Bazzo last November. His progress has been stymied through an interrupted pre-season, but he’s expected to play his first game with the WAFL Eagles today.

The third round selection in the 2021 draft tied into the trade with Sydney (pick 52, eventually 49) was then on-traded by the Eagles to Carlton to land Sam Petrevski-Seton.

Nothing is what it seems.

In effect the Eagles gave up two first round selections and two second round selections to Geelong and also released Tom Hickey to Sydney with two selections. In return the deal netted the Eagles  Kelly, Jamieson, Edwards, Winder, Bazzo and Petrevski-Seton..

Port Adelaide’s involvement was manifested through the trade of Aliir Aliir from the Swans to the Power. But we’ll leave that complexity there. 

Suddenly one of the most heavily debated trades in recent history is not as lop-sided as it has been painted.

Maybe, like the deal that saw Josh Kennedy and two draft selections (used for Chris Masten and Tony Notte) come to the Eagles in exchange for premiership captain Chris Judd, we will not be able to evaluate the true value of this trade for years to come.  

But already it is far removed from the lop-sided deal that has been portrayed.      

The second part of the commentary around the Kelly trade has been his form. That argument is also open to challenge

In his two completed seasons, he has finished in the top 10 in the Club Champion Award – seventh in his debut season in 2020 and sixth last year, when he played three fewer games than eventual winner Nic Naitanui.

Until he hurt his knee against Essendon in round 11 he was leading the race for the club’s highest individual accolade with 89 votes, ahead of Naitanui on 79.

He has been a fine acquisition although detractors of both the individual and the club would prefer to use the sample size from the ​disappointing team performance on Good Friday to evaluate his form, rather than the 49 games he has so far played in blue and gold. That would not suit the story line at all.

The deal in a nutshell after incorporating the selection of NGA and father/son players by the various AFL clubs at each of the 2019 and 2020 National Drafts, is thus:

 To Geelong from West Coast Eagles

1)      Pick 16, 2019

2)      Pick 24, 2019

3)      Pick 38, 2019

4)      Pick 18, 2020

From Geelong to West Coast Eagles

1)    Tim Kelly

2)    Pick 49, 2019 – West Coast Eagles selected Callum Jamieson

3)    Pick 60, 2020 – West Coast Eagles traded it to Sydney with pick 34, 2020 and Tom Hickey. In exchange, WCE received from Sydney:

                        (i)     Pick 52, 2020 – West Coast Eagles nselected Luke Edwards

                        (ii)     Pick 57, 2020 – West Coast Eagles selected Isiah Winder

                        (iii)     Port Adelaide 2^nd Round pick, 2021 (37) – West Coast Eagles selected Rhett Bazzo

                        (iv)     Sydney 3^rd Round pick, 2021 (52 – eventually 49) – West Coast Eagles on-traded to Carlton for Sam Petrevski-Seton

#NB: Essendon also featured in the deals as follows:

           
Essendon received:
Pick 33, 2019 from WCE
Pick 57, 2019 from Geelong

Essendon gave:
Pick 37, 2019 to Geelong
Pick 52, 2019 to WCE