The AFL's latest Rising Star nomination, Great Western Sydney midfielder Josh Kelly, could have been playing for the Melbourne Demons last weekend instead of helping to destroy them, had the Giants not made the crafty move to nab him at last year's draft.
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Had his father Phil played more senior games with the Kangaroos in the 1980s, the 19-year-old could also have ended up at North Melbourne.
But Kelly, the AFL's No. 2 draft pick last year, is convinced there's no better place for a young footballer's development than being thrown in the deep end with Greater Western Sydney.
Kelly was showered in praise – and Gatorade by his teammates during their victory song – after kicking two final-term goals and finishing with 19 disposals in just his second AFL game against Melbourne last weekend, his impact influential as the Giants recorded their second win from three matches this AFL season.
The young Giants have now had 12 players receive Rising Star nominations since their debut season in 2012, but Kelly said the fresh-faced club now aspired to play like a "hard-nut team".
"It's a good start, but we can't be complacent,'' said Kelly, eyeing this Saturday's match against the Western Bulldogs in Canberra. "We've got a big game against the Bulldogs, they're coming off a good win against Richmond.
"Once I'm out on the field I try not to see myself as a rookie player, no matter how old we are, we've all got to play our role for the team. We just want to be a hard-nut team, we want to try and win contested footy, win the tackling. We want to have a hard attack on the footy."
The Melbourne Demons had second selection in last year's draft, but traded it to the Giants for Dom Tyson and later draft picks. The Giants are convinced they got the better deal with Kelly, already extending the Sandringham junior's contract to 2017.
Kelly grew up as a North Melbourne supporter, his father Phil playing 61 matches with the Kangaroos between 1981-84. The Giants play the Roos in Canberra in Round 20, North Melbourne's first trip back to the national capital since abandoning it as a home venue after 2006.
"Around the draft last year I didn't know where I was going to go, I wasn't sure if I was going to end up at Melbourne even when they had pick two,'' Kelly said.
"[Melbourne] didn't say anything to me. It wasn't until draft night I found out I was going to the Giants, I'm happy the way everything's turned out.
"Dad played 61 games, so it wasn't enough for father-son [eligibility] so it was never really something we considered.
"I was a Roos supporter, Boomer [Brent] Harvey was always a big one, being one of the gun players at North. It's pretty surreal to be playing in the AFL."
