Geelong midfielder Tim Kelly was at the centre of the trade period last season, with West Coast eagerly chasing the the 24-year-old.
Kelly eventually remained at the Cats, but reports have suggested he's still interested in moving to WA during this year's trade period.
The Cats have kept their hard-lined stance on Kelly, and coach Chris Scott reiterated that on SEN on Saturday morning.
"Anyone that thinks it's a foregone conclusion that Tim Kelly is going to leave Geelong is mistaken," Scott said on SEN's Crunch Time.
"I'd probably repeat the comments that Tim's made already publicly, that none of us can predict the future, he's really drive to win a premiership with Geelong.
"Our list management team will work really hard on getting a good result for the club.
"I think the best result for the Geelong footy club is for time to have a great year, he started it pretty well; he was the best player on the ground in my view last night.
"I am very, very optimistic that he'll be a Geelong player for a long time."
Kelly was one of the Cats' best during their seven-point win over Collingwood on Friday night, collecting 31 disposals and nine clearances.
Kelly cited homesickness as the major reason for requesting a trade back home, with a lack of family support in Geelong to help with his wife and three young children.
Scott knows what his midfielder is going through and can understand the situation, but believes the worst is behind Kelly in terms of tough living in Geelong.
"Again, I'll repeat what I've heard Tim saying publicly, which is he loves Geelong and if he could move the Geelong footy club to Perth so he could have more family support, he would play the rest of his career out at Geelong," Scott added.
"It is unfortunate in professional sport right across the world that most players do need to move away from home to pursue their dreams, and it's a big impost for the families involved.
"Tim has a slightly rare situation in that he has three really young kids and had great family support in Perth that he doesn’t have now.
"I think anyone that has kids knows that it does get a little bit easier, that first year's really tough, especially when you’ve got twins and another young child as well.
"I'm just really confident that Tim will get better and better in every respect, not just his on-field but his off-field stuff as well.
"It's not just about Tim the footballer. It's not often that bringing in a player that's performed so well on the field after being overlooked for five drafts, and become such an integral part of our footy club… footy clubs, in my view, good footy clubs, don't give up players like that that easily."
