The AFL's most in-demand youngster Josh Kelly has put club before cash in extending his stay at Greater Western Sydney, but the raiding party is likely to resume in a year.
Rival sides were lining up to lure Kelly home to Victoria, with North Melbourne dangling a nine-year contract thought to be worth approximately $10 million.
The 22-year-old, who was off contract at the end of the season, never personally inspected the zeros but admitted it was a "surreal" situation that muddled his mind.
"It was all somewhat new to me ... it made me consider my options but this is where I want to play my footy," Kelly told reporters in Sydney on Monday.
The gifted midfielder, whose father played 61 VFL games for the Kangaroos between 1981-85, discussed his conundrum with teammates, friends and family before opting to extend his contract until the end of the 2019 season.
"I would have preferred much longer ... but we're really comfortable with the deal," GWS football manager Wayne Campbell said.
"He's still building as a player, only being in the system for four years, so most players in that situation would do the same."
There is no prospect of widespread speculation over Kelly's future overshadowing the Giants' lead-up to Saturday's preliminary final against Richmond at the MCG.
But the conjecture will inevitably start up again.
"Not for 12 months we would hope," Campbell quipped.
It is not unusual for someone of Kelly's age and talent to sign a shorter deal, knowing their value should be close to peaking come the next round of contract talks.
It is a safe bet. Kelly's stocks have soared in the past six months, with a string of impressive performances resulting in All-Australian selection.
Kelly rejected the notion he was keeping his options open regarding a future move to Melbourne.
"Not at all," he said, adding that he never seriously considered leaving GWS.
The Giants expected Kelly to re-sign throughout the year but Campbell admitted there were some nervous moments as the wait continued.
"For a guy that is an elite decision-maker on the field, off field he can procrastinate a little bit," Campbell laughed.
"We have had some jokes around that but we've said all along we're reasonably confident.
"It was an enormous decision for Josh. He's made some enormous (financial) sacrifices."
Kelly joins Dylan Shiel, Jon Patton, Lachie Whitfield, Jacob Hopper and many other teammates to recommit this year.
"I feel like I've been sitting on the decision for a few weeks now," Kelly said of the timing of his announcement.
"It just felt right to get it out of the way now and focus on footy."
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