CHRIS Sandow has been punted by Parramatta — but Eels fans will find it just as hard to get excited about his replacement Luke Kelly.
Kelly is no stranger to the NRL and will start at No.7 for the Eels against the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday.
However, the 25-year-old’s promotion caught some by surprise at his own club given his modest form in the NSW Cup.
Wentworthville are sitting at the bottom of the ladder, and have the worst attacking record in the competition, which is never a good reflection on the team’s playmakers.
There have also been a few tight finishes where Kelly hasn’t been able to lift Wentworthville to victory.
Kelly’s overall NRL record isn’t exactly flash either, with just 11 wins from 34 outings.
And like Sandow, Kelly is off contract at the end of the season, and doesn’t appear to be in the club’s future plans.
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Kelly’s NSW Cup record isn’t overly impressive. Source: News Corp Australia
The halves depth is light, which only reminds fans of how important the signing of Kieran Foran is for 2016.
As Sandow heads back to reserve grade to find some form and work on things coach Brad Arthur wants him to immediately address, Kelly pulls on the No.7 jumper that has been impossible to do justice since the great Peter Sterling finished up at the club in 1992.
Arthur had to try something, especially given Sandow’s defensive lapses, and his habit of going for the low-percentage plays.
Arthur defended the form of Kelly, and said of his selection: “He plays a simple style of football, and that’s what we need at the moment.’’
“We track all the boys in the lower grades, and he’s been training well and controlling the Wenty team reasonably well.’’
Eels coach Brad Arthur and Luke Kelly talk during a training session. Source: News Corp Australia
Arthur said it was sometimes hard to read into the form of the NSW Cup, especially when players were being demoted and promoted at the eleventh hour.
One player Arthur will trial against the men for Wenty this weekend is Holden Cup fullback Bevan French.
For Sandow, there are no guarantees he’ll automatically return to the top flight. He’s no chance of getting anywhere near the $550,000-a-year deal he’s currently on.
Tepai Moeroa, who returns for the Eels against the Warriors, said Kelly would get the job done, and was impressed by what he saw when back in the NSW Cup himself.
“He’s a lot like Chrissy, he takes control, and he’ll tell you where you need to get to, and if you don’t he’ll spray you,’’ Moeroa said.
‘’He’s a good leader, I’ve played a few games with him at Wenty, and I’ve copped it from him once or twice. But you need that. He earns respect that way. He has the ability to let you know what you’re doing wrong.’’
Replies
I dont think Kelly will play on the weekend, BA could not be that conservative and dopey, im calling his bluff, ZDC will make is debut on the weekend.
Hope your right Snake.
There are a couple of options id look at though to replace Kelly. The first is obviously starting ZDC at 7. The other is a bit of a stretch, and a lot will disagree, but play Norman at 7, Peats at 6 and Degois at 9. I think Peatsy could handle the halves. Creative, and has an underrated kicking game.
Let's wait and see what happens, but I highly doubt it will be the latter.
I have no facts and think Kelly is shithouse, but we'll win.
Wishful thinking I think lads... I think we're stuck with Luke Kelly for this week at the very least...
It's going to be a looooooong season.
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