As the son of an AFL premiership player, Kelly played for the Kew Comets and the Glen Iris Gladiators, part of the Yarra Junior Football League, in his youth.

[2] He then played for his high school Scotch College and the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup and also made appearances for Collingwood's VFL side as a teenager.

[8] This form continued through the rest of the season as he performed well, nullifying some of the competition's best forwards while averaging 16 possessions and leading the club in marks.

[13] After suffering a hand injury, Kelly started to build form in the SANFL in 2016 and was considered a chance of replacing the injured Daniel Talia in the AFL side late in the season.

[18] He again pushed for senior selection in the Crows’ final JLT Series match against Brisbane Lions, where he had 16 possessions and took seven marks.

[29] In the final round of the season, Kelly was fined for kicking Brisbane Lions forward Eric Hipwood, escaping suspension.

[30] Following another disappointing season for Essendon, Kelly made the "courageous" decision to make a shock retirement from AFL football after 168 games for two clubs.

[31][32] As a junior, Kelly was a left-footed medium defender, capable of tagging both tall and small forwards and also with good rebounding skills.