Eddie McGuire has discussed the speculation surrounding Collingwood star Brodie Grundy’s potential departure at season’s end, agreeing the club should renegotiate the two-time All-Australian’s terms to keep him onboard.
As a former president of the Pies, McGuire told Nine’s Footy Classified it would be a big call for Collingwood to shut out Grundy.
“Brodie Grundy is a superstar footballer and you don’t get too many of them, and you don’t shove them out the door without a really good think,” he said.
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“If there was something there to fill the needs then sure, I’ve got full confidence in the list management people at Collingwood, but you would want to be thinking very deeply about him [Grundy] and De Goey going out the door.”
The comments come as rumours continue to swirl considering Grundy’s monster seven-year, $7 million deal – which he signed ahead of the 2020 season – and Collingwood’s string of close matches, won only by small margins.
While arguments are being made that Grundy is not providing the Pies enough value for money, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said there were several teams that would be excited by the prospect of landing the first-class ruckman.
“Say for example Luke Jackson – everyone thinks he’s going to go to Freemantle – so suddenly you’re going OK, [Max] Gawn and Grundy, and you have the best one-two (rucks in the league),” he said.
“Grundy gets Brownlow votes every time he plays the Western Bulldogs, imagine [Marcus] Bontempelli and those guys (alongside Grundy). You’d go, ‘Tim English, you can help [Aaron] Naughton forward, Brody you join Bontempelli in the midfield.’
“It would be unbelievable.”
AFL journalist Sam McClure added Collingwood is desperate for another inside midfielder to add depth in the centre.
“The Pies are looking closely at Tim Taranto, they want another midfielder. (Meanwhile) the Giants need a ruckman. I mean, it makes sense that if Grundy were to go one way, they could get one of their midfielders, whether it’s Taranto or the Giants want to offload some salary cap space themselves with [Lachie] Whitfield or [Josh] Kelly.”
Lloyd, however, quickly rejected a deal with GWS as the trade would not be attractive considering the Giants’ bottom-four position on the ladder compared to the Magpies.
Grundy has also built a house in Melbourne and is studying at Melbourne University’s Business School.
To keep Grundy at Collingwood, former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon tabled a different approach.
“Is there a possibility he could recalibrate?” he said.
“Why don’t we just extend me out, average it out, take the pressure off the salary cap and they keep a great player at the club.
“Now you’re talking, that would be the conversation I’d like to have,” McGuire added.
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