Collingwood has been praised for refusing to budge on its contract terms offered to Jordan De Goey, despite a second consecutive dominant finals performance.
After an interrupted season, De Goey is playing his best football at the business end of Collingwood’s campaign, and was judged the best player on the ground by the coaches in Saturday’s semi-final win over Fremantle.
De Goey was initially offered a deal which would’ve seen him earn up to $3.2 million across four years, before it was pulled due to his controversial antics during a mid-season trip to Bali.
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The club has since tabled a similar deal, a two-year contract with behavioural triggers for an added two years, per The Age’s Caroline Wilson.
Wilson also told Nine’s Footy Classified that Collingwood was “adamant” on not budging on its offer, even with De Goey’s strong post-season performances.
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes said the Magpies had played the situation with their star man “magnificently”.
“I just love the way Collingwood have played it right the way through, from withdrawing the contract offer after the Bali incident, to now holding firm on what they are prepared to pay for a player who has had a troubled past,” he told Footy Classified.
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“His performances speak for themselves and he’s building an incredible finals resume, but perhaps Collingwood have finally learnt from the long-term contract disasters that they’ve made repeatedly.
“For a player with a chequered past, he doesn’t have many other options. Perhaps it’s only Collingwood, and they would realise that he doesn’t want to leave, so I reckon they’ve played it magnificently.”
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