Multi-million dollar cost of De Goey debacle

It’s the latest in a string of controversies involving the 25-year-old, including lying over the cause of a broken hand and a drink driving charge.

Speaking to SEN Radio, Cornes said the latest incident is likely to be the last straw for the Magpies.

“I think they will be (finished with him). I’m not going to say that he won’t play for Collingwood again, but in terms of his long-term future I can’t see there’s a way beyond next year that he’s at Collingwood,” he said.

“I think Collingwood have suffered from players such as Jordan in the past, he’s not dissimilar to the ‘Rat Pack’ of Collingwood back 10 years ago when there was a little bit more leeway with indiscretions. That’s not going to cut it anymore.

“I think with the developing group, they’ve got a new coach coming in, the issues they’ve had in a whole raft of areas, it’s time they’re going to have to sever ties with Jordan… I don’t think they can afford to carry players with the character of Jordan De Goey considering this isn’t his first (off-field controversy).”

De Goey has 12 months remaining on his estimated $750,000 per year contract with Collingwood, and would have been able to seek a new deal as a restricted free agent at the end of 2022.

In 2018 he rejected a five year, $5 million offer from North Melbourne to re-sign with the Magpies.

But the fact that De Goey had been granted an exemption to travel overseas to take part in a fitness program, while supporters were unable to travel within their own state, makes the situation almost untenable, said Cornes.

“On Friday morning here, you couldn’t go to regional areas in Victoria – and you’ve got an athlete who has been given an exemption and granted the luxury to be able to travel overseas for what we were told was training purposes,” he said.

“To see the images and the videos coming through social media, which were tracked down, it’s about the most embarrassing thing I can remember of a player who, a week prior, was telling us how fit he was going to be and how hard he had been training.

“Well I saw him in a robe carrying on like an absolute pork chop and shirtless in a bar and clearly consuming alcohol and those types of things when those of his fellow Victorians had just been allowed to take their mask off outside and travel to regional areas.

“It’s not going to cut it, particularly in these times. How many chances does this guy need?”

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