Will Kelly won’t forget his debut match with Collingwood in a hurry after the young prospect suffered a grotesque arm injury minutes into his first match with the team – before swiftly jogging off the pitch to receive treatment.
Kelly, the son of AFL legend Craig Kelly, was making his much-anticipated bow for Collingwood against Hawthorn after being drafted by the side in 2018 after injuries had derailed his first appearance for the team – but it looks as though the injury bug has bitten once again.
The youngster enjoyed a good start to the game, scoring a goal with his first kick in the league, but the smiles soon turned to another emotion entirely after he landed awkwardly after competing for a high ball, appearing to badly injure his left arm in the process.
Incredibly, it happened on almost exactly the same part of the pitch in which Jayden Short suffered an identical injury while playing for Richmond last year.
“It’s a tough game,” Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told the media shortly after the game. “Obviously it is bittersweet. He looked like he was enjoying himself and he was part of a solid team performance. I think the early diagnosis is a dislocated elbow [but] we don’t know if we can rule out a fracture at this point.”
Predictably, social media has reacted to the injury with horror with several tweets wishing the player well ahead of what may well be a lengthy recovery.
Will Kelly's arm looked like it went 15 different directions, but the young fella was still there to sing the song after a solid win. Positive signs that it isn't too bad. #AFLPiesHawks
“Welcome to AFL footy,” Kelly’s teammate Darcy Moore told Fox after the game. “It’s a tough caper.
“At times it’s two steps forward, one step back. It’s cruel, but it’s the way it is.
“He barely played a game last year, so he’s been through a lot of hardship with injury. To see him come out and slot the first goal of the game was awesome. It was a taste of the highs of AFL – and then you come crashing back to earth.
“We’ll get around him. It’s disappointing for sure.”
