Josh Kelly has changed. After many years of suppressing the thought of returning to Melbourne to the far corner of his brain, tomorrow's problem is no longer causing the GIANTS star a headache. He made up his mind last year. He isn't going anywhere.

The 27-year-old is no longer the subject of contract innuendo after triggering the eight-year extension last August that his manager, Paul Connors, had negotiated in the middle of 2019, tying him to the harbour city until at least the end of 2029. 

Kelly is now a dual Kevin Sheedy Medallist after winning his second best and fairest last year and the new co-captain of the GIANTS, elevated with superstar forward Toby Greene to share the duty with Stephen Coniglio in 2022 – three players who have spurned the lure of godfather offers from down south to remain loyal to the club that plucked them out of football heartlands and plonked them in rugby league territory. 

"I feel like it has changed. That was always a back-of-the-mind thought, but at the same time it was never something I put heaps of thought into; it was just around, there was always that speculation, even internally, as well," Kelly told AFL.com.au.

"I think now just being committed to the club I feel a real ownership and responsibility to get the most out of myself as a player and how can I impact others now. How can I take responsibility for the group, or the way things are run or the standards around the footy club on the track? 

"For me, it has become a more wholesome role or holistic role as part of a member of the GIANTS. I'm really proud of where the club has got to now. Locking myself in for a long time, I definitely feel a responsibility going forward."

Now more than seven months on from executing a clause that should see him start and finish his career at the game's youngest franchise – which might not be that by then – Kelly admits he was close to accepting a lucrative offer to return home and play for North Melbourne, the club his father played for and the one he grew up supporting.  

"There were definitely times when I thought I probably was going to move back, but at the same time, my mind was all over the place a couple of times and I was weighing up things," Kelly said.

"I was thinking about family and friends back in Melbourne; thinking about playing football back in Melbourne; realising what I have here and just how good my time has been here and the relationships I've made at the club that I feel like I've been a part of building from an early stage. 

"At the end of the day, you weigh all those things up and you think about what's really important to you. It was a huge relief getting it done and what that did to my mind. Having all that in the background, I probably didn't realise what that all did and how I was going to feel. I'm stoked with the decision and haven't looked back for one moment. I'm pretty excited with what's to come."

While Coniglio has always been highly regarded internally for his relationship skills since the moment he walked in the door at 18, and Greene personifies the old school on-field leader, leadership hasn't always come naturally to Kelly. 

There has never been a concern regarding his professionalism or character. The Brighton Grammar product has always kept his own reputation pristine. The question has been can the 2013 No.2 pick drive the group? Can he challenge the status quo? 

"I think when I first came into the footy club, and AFL in general, I led by example by keeping my backyard clean, trying to do everything right professionalism-wise and play good footy. But I think if you want to be a leader, you need to impact others and drag people along with your standards and not just take care of your own business. That is something that's a work in progress with me, but I think that all starts with having great relationships across the group," he said.

"I really pride myself on forming great relationships so you can give feedback or you can drag people along. I think if you can build that care or that trust I think that's a good starting point to being able to challenge people. Forming relationships across the group and then being able to impact and set the standard from there is something I want to really pride myself on with leadership going forward."

Plenty has changed since the GIANTS made it all the way to the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final only to be smashed by Richmond. Big names have departed the club and a pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world. But despite all the change, Kelly still believes the current list is capable of reaching the promised land and delivering the GIANTS' first premiership.

"I still think we're right in that zone. We've got the same core, but we've been able to develop a lot of young boys and those players who've come through have had to really fight for their spots. And we've got a really strong core," he said.

"As a club we've built a real winning culture and that's not easy at times. We've always aimed for finals and I think we've got a really motivated group that's come close a few times and there's been a lot of disappointment along the way, but we've learned a lot through it as well.

"We've become hungry through it because of how close we were. We're good enough to be there. We know what areas we value as a football team and that stacks up in finals. I'm confident we've got the right people to get back there."

Time is on Kelly's side. He has eight more years to land the ultimate prize. Just don't expect him to be patient.