Picture: J.L. “FRED” SMITH
ANOTHER accolade has come the way of reigning Mid South East Football League premiership coach Jack Kelly.
The Robe mentor was named as the South East Coach of the Year at the annual regional coaches’ dinner at Penola on Saturday night.
It was hosted by the South East Affiliated Leagues and the Glenelg Football Club.
The guest speaker was Glenelg Football Club senior coach Mark Stone, who gave great insight into his career in football starting at Wagga and progressing through to AFL at Sydney, West Coast and Fremantle.
Kelly will go on to represent the South East at the State Coaching Awards in Adelaide on November 2.
The honour recognises his success with the Roosters as well as taking the MSEFL interleague to the final of the SE Zone Carnival at Robe in June and being Murray South East assistant coach.
Kelly joined the seaside club at the beginning of the 2015 season and has starred in a red-and-white jumper.
He has also featured in the MSEFL, Murray South East and SA Country sides.
His football journey took him from his family’s farm at Kybybolite to three years in underage ranks with Glenelg in the SANFL.
Playing as a rover, he then spent a season with Prince Alfred Old Collegians in Division 3 of the South Australian Amateur Football League where he won the league best and fairest medal.
This brought him to the attention of the Sturt Double Blues Football Club in the SANFL.
The 27-year-old played 12 league games for the Double Blues between 2012 and 2014.
He left the Double Blues after doctors advised that a back injury would continue to cause problems should he continue at this elite level.
Robe was a good option to continue his career as Kelly has frequently holidayed there and his family own a house in the town.
The successful coach divides his time between his trade as a carpenter (hence the nickname of “Chipper”) and working as a deckhand on a lobster boat.
His community interests include charity activities and he took part in the annual Dancing with the Stars in Mount Gambier in 2017 which is a fundraiser for the Stand Like Stone Foundation.
Kelly’s father has since joined the committee of the Robe Football Club.
