Kelly brothers’ day to treasure

They grew up wanting to follow their dad’s footsteps at Swan Districts and had played Colts and Reserves together, but it’s going to be tough to top the first WAFL League game together on Saturday for Blake and Luke Kelly.

The Kelly brothers are no strangers to playing together having done so not only in the Colts and Reserves at Swan Districts, but also in school at Guildford Grammar, but they got to live out a dream on Saturday at Steel Blue Oval.

Luke has been a regular now in the League team so far in 2026 and then younger brother Blake joined him to make his debut and they were part of something special with Swan Districts kicking the only seven goals of the last quarter to storm home and beat Perth.

The pair are following in the footsteps of dad, Peter, who played 128 games with Swan Districts between 1992-2003 with a stint at South Fremantle in between where he added another 38 WAFL matches including the 1997 premiership.

Now the family legacy continues through Blake and Luke at Swan Districts with Saturday sure to be the first of many League matches they play together.

LUKE KELLY

Luke has now played 32 games at League level with Swan Districts including all eight of 2026 but Saturday’s win against the Demons is one he’ll treasure for a long time both because Luke was out there with him to share it, but also just because of that comeback victory at Steel Blue Oval.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play with Blake at school, colts and reserves but to play at league level was really special and a great experience as we have both worked hard to make it to this level from the start,” Luke said.

“The last quarter was extremely exciting to be a part of as it showed what we are capable of, to see mum, dad and the family after the game was extremely special for me as they were so happy and proud of me, Blake and the performance of the team as it would of been extremely fun to watch.”

While Peter’s WAFL career was over before both his sons were born, Luke is still fully aware of what their dad did especially with those 128 games with Swan Districts and he grew up always wanting to follow his path as a footballer.

Then with only a couple of years between him and Luke as brothers, they grew up playing together and wanting to do that at the highest level as possible.

To do that at the club that means so much to the whole family is something to treasure.

“To share the journey with Blake is exciting as it’s a start of what’s to come,” Luke said.

“Swans means a lot to me as it’s where i have grown up watching my dad, and have always looked up to my dad as a person, coach and footballer at the club.”

Luke did make his League debut with Swan Districts back in 2024 where he played 12 games on the back of being part of the Reserves premiership in 2023.

He added another 12 games in 2025 at League level, but now has played all eight matches of 2026 to be starting to cement his spot in the team.

He’s averaging 17.1 possessions across those games too and is feeling more and more comfortable out there the more he plays at the level.

“Very pleased with my start, been holding my spot playing a variety of roles,” Luke said.

“Love playing with the lads so hopefully we get on a roll and play the way we know how to.”

BLAKE KELLY

Blake is one of the best young talents in Western Australia having been a regular in the State 18s and 16s teams. While he could consider himself unlucky to not be in the AFL system yet, the bonus is experiencing something like he did on Saturday.

After finishing last year in the Reserves preliminary final where he shared the field with Luke, Blake has started the season dominating in the Reserves with 28.5 possessions a game to bang down the door for his League debut.

He then looked right at home with 20 possessions and a goal first up on Saturday, but what he’ll remember was being part of that huge comeback win against Perth and getting to play at League level with his older brother.

“The comeback was pretty epic, to play in a game like that and for it to be my first was amazing and I definitely won’t forget it. The boys really dug in and it was super inspiring,” Blake said.

“Cracking into the league side and representing Swannies was really special for myself and my family, lots of hard work has gone into it and for it to happen and to get a win was super fun and the boys were super welcoming with me coming in.”

As for playing with Luke at League level, while they have done it in the Colts and Reserves already in Swan Districts jumpers, it was something extra special on Saturday for Blake.

“Sharing the field with Luke was pretty special as well, he’s obviously been by my side the whole way and been a massive mentor for me,” Blake said.

“To have him guide me through my journey and then play with him meant heaps to us as a family and it is a pretty epic experience.

“Hopefully there’s plenty more games to come together.”

Blake has come through the ranks at Swan Districts playing outstanding football in the Colts including on the 2024 team that made the Grand Final, and then again averaging 26.6 possessions in his 11 appearances in 2025.

He will always be thankful for the help he received in his development at that level to help build him to where he is now.

“The colts program was massive for me in my journey and loved my time in that team,” Blake said.

“I developed much as a player and a person through there and then to find my feet in the reserves and learn so much in a short period of time has been huge.”

While an AFL future is something for those on the outside to speculate for Blake, his focus is just on continuing to get better all the time knowing any future opportunities will take care of themselves if he just keeps performing.

So all he wants to do is help Swan Districts keep recording more wins like they were able to do on Saturday and he’ll be hoping to start that this Saturday in Mandurah against Peel Thunder.

“Now personally I’m just really focusing on nailing my role for the team to try push my case to be consistent in the team every week. To play the best I can and help the team out as much as possible with whatever it is,” Blake said.

“As a team there is so much belief so we are trying to string together some wins to hopefully push for finals which is certainly my personal goal and the team’s vision for the rest of the year.”