GWS midfielder Josh Kelly will miss the bulk of the 2026 AFL season, with the 30-year-old set to undergo a significant surgical procedure on his hip.
Kelly has been dealing with a lingering problem in his hip the past two years, which has seen him miss an accumulative 17 games since 2024.
Per AFL Media's Josh Gabelich, Kelly met with specialists in Sydney and Melbourne following GWS' elimination final loss to Hawthorn, who have deemed a hip resurfacing surgery as the best course of action moving forward. It's a different procedure to the hip surgery Kelly endured last off-season, which allowed him to return to a full pre-season block without compromise.
However, the Giants expect Kelly to be unavailable until the final third of the 2026 season, with this surgery taking six months to fully recover before he can gradually start training again.
The hope is the surgery will annihilate the pain Kelly has been dealing with in training and potentially extend his career. Tennis superstar and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray underwent the same surgery in 2019 and allowed him to play elite level tennis for another five years before his retirement in 2024.
Kelly will become the third Giant to undergo significant surgery this off-season, with Jesse Hogan (foot) and Brent Daniels (groin) recently entering the medical ward. However, both Hogan and Daniels are expected to complete full pre-seasons without disruption.
Kelly played 15 games in 2025 and averaged 21.5 disposals, 3.5 marks and 5.2 score involvements per game. He was a stand-out in GWS' electric comeback against Hawthorn that fell short, coming on as sub in the second half before delivering 18 disposals, 13 contested possessions, nine clearances and two goals in just 43% time on ground.
