Geelong coach Chris Scott is confident that mature-age sensation Tim Kelly will remain at the club for at least the 2019 season.
Kelly, 24, has been linked with a move back to Perth and has yet to re-sign with the Cats, who are eager to lock the midfielder away beyond 2019.
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“There’s only two scenarios: He’s either a very good actor, or he’s going to stay,” Scott told SEN’s Whateley.
“I can’t see any scenario in which he leaves Geelong, at least in 2019.”
Scott will be keeping an open mind during the upcoming NAB Trade Period, but is also enthusiastic about their position in the draft.
“I think there’s going to be a little bit of movement, so our key part is to stay agile and open minded to the possibilities,” Scott added.
“We’re prioritising the draft, there’s a bit more clarity now with the priority picks situation being cleared up, so what looked like falling to pick 13, 14 or 15 is now pick 12, so that’s a really good option for us.
“We’ve got a couple of other things that we’d look at but nothing really firm at the moment.
“The most important thing for us is to stay open minded as to what might happen because if the big fish falls, it does have a flow-on effect.”