West Coast star Tim Kelly is starting to feel more confident in his body after struggling with injury throughout the early part of the season.

The Noongar, Wongi and Yamatji man is fresh off collecting a team-high 29 disposals in his team's 13-point loss to Brisbane last Sunday at Optus Stadium.

He also gained 506m metres and kicked a goal in the 16.10 (106) to 14.9 (93) loss to the Lions.

The Eagles midfielder has struggled with a knee complaint for most of the season and missed three games recently due to a hip flexor issue, which he admitted had been frustrating.

"Since about round three or four this year I've been battling with a little bit of cartilage damage in my knee, a fair bit of bone stress," Kelly said.

"Ultimately, I was fronting up every week and playing but from a preparation point-of-view it wasn't really ideal not doing a hell of a lot during the week and rolling into a game.

"It was important for me to have about four or five weeks off, really let my knee settle and initially I had a hip flexor which made me stop playing.

"I generally don't play with many niggles, I have had a pretty good run at it."

Kelly has struggled to match the output from his best-and-fairest winning season of 2023, going from a 28-disposal average to 23 touches per game this year, but he said that he is beginning to have more faith in his body's ability to recover from games.

"I've had some good games and from my own expectations I've been a little bit below my best and from a consistency point-of-view," he said.

"I feel like I'm starting to get on top of those things and starting to go into games feeling really good.

"I'm able to train during the week and prepare as well as I can, I'm not out of the woods yet, but starting to get on top of it.

"I'm pulling up really good as well, whereas before it was like I couldn't walk for a couple of days."

Kelly is still uncertain whether the troublesome knee will require surgery at the end of the season and said that decision would be made by the club.

"I'll certainly speak with the medicos and take their advice on it – it's not in writing yet as to what it looks like at the end of the year."

The 29-year-old has played 138 AFL games – including 48 at Geelong – since being selected with pick 24 in the 2017 AFL National Draft.