Collingwood v Gold Coast Round 17: Jordan De Goey goal haul guarantees Magpies will play finals
Collingwood has looked toothless in attack at times this year, but the return of Jordan De Goey and a much-improved performance from Mason Cox has them in the eight.
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Collingwood superstar Jordan De Goey has supercharged the club’s finals hopes after making a brilliant comeback in the tense 22-point win over Gold Coast.
The forward made an electrifying return from a serious finger injury, bagging four of Collingwood’s first five goals to secure the Magpies a finals berth on Monday night.
The sparkling haul included a mesmerising 50m bomb off three steps in in the third term, while De Goey unselfishly handed off the chance to slot his fifth major from point blank range only minutes later.
Collingwood has looked toothless in attack at times this year, but the return of De Goey and a much-improved performance from Mason Cox is a major boost at the business end of the season.
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But De Goey was the match winner only days after he had surgery to remove a pin from his finger.
The No. 5 draft pick said his finger emerged unscathed and was pleased with the win after two months out.
“It was all good, I was a bit nervous at the start (because) a few times the ball hit me on the end (of the finger) but it all seems to be fine, so I’m pretty happy with it,” De Goey said on Fox Footy.
“We have had a bit of an inconsistent season so far, but it was good to get the job done when we needed it.
“The boys should be high in confidence and looking forward to next week.”
The brilliant haul will underline claims he is worth upwards of $800,000 on his next deal as the Pies work to re-sign the goal kicker along with gun defender Darcy Moore and workhorse forward Brody Mihocek.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said it was clear for everyone to see how valuable De Goey was to the team’s structure.
“When you see De Goey do his thing, you understand understand how much we’ve missed (him),” he said.
“And it’s good to be able to see that evidence on the football field.”
De Goey’s first disposal, which was also a goal, came after he applied a strong tackle on Suns midfielder Hugh Greenwood.
That was enough for Buckley to realise De Goey was not troubled by the surgery he had to correct a finger tendon injury.
“He looked pretty sharp. And then the first one (goal) was off the back of a tackle,” Buckley said.
“So he didn’t lack any confidence in the hand and that will give him a lot of confidence as well.”
Ruckman Cox, who was dumped from the senior side earlier this year, slotted two goals including a remarkable running effort loping inside 50m in the fourth term which locks in his position in the team for finals ahead of Darcy Cameron.
De Goey said Cox plays an important role.
“What we want him to do is make a contest and get the ball to the front and if we can be predictable like that it makes it easier for us other forwards,” De Goey said.
However, St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt claimed superstar ruckman Brodie Grundy was playing sore after another subdued performance.
The stakes were high for the Pies as they are now assured a finals berth after looking shaky mid-season amid a crippling run of injuries.
An upset win against Port Adelaide – which will be captain Scott Pendlebury’s club record 314th game – will mean the Magpies avoid a cut-throat elimination final against West Coast in Perth.
DE GOEY MAGIC
Yet, if not for the brilliance of De Goey, making just his seventh appearance for the season and his first since round seven because of a serious finger injury, it may have been a disastrous night for the Pies.
It took less than two minutes for the 24-year-old to hit the scoreboard after he goaled from a free kick from just 25m out.
It was the first of three first-half goals for the dynamic mid-sized forward who had no trouble losing his opponent Sam Collins in traffic when it mattered most.
De Goey bagged another in the third and, from 10m out, spoonfed Brody Mihocek on the goal line for a brilliant return.
TRELOAR JUST AS DAMAGING
Also reappearing for the Pies after a lengthy break was damaging midfielder Adam Treloar who watched the opening bounce from the bench.
Within a few minutes he entered the fray and was by and large minded by either Sun’s dynamo Lachie Weller or co-captain David Swallow.
Treloar immediately got to work, racking up 16 touches, including nine contested possessions, by the long break and finished with a game-high 26 disposals.
While it was his first game since round 10 because of a hamstring injury, Treloar showed his customary pace through the middle with one brilliant burst of speed ending with a Will Hoskin-Elliott goal.
“He was good. Even in first quarter when, when the rest of our mids weren’t really going, he was, he was up and about,” Buckley said.
It was a solid four-quarter effort for the 27-year-old, which will stand him in good stead for the clash with the Power and the finals.
“We really look forward to seven days time against Port who, along with Brisbane, Geelong and Richmond, have been the most consistent sides of this season,” Buckley said.
“That will be a great test for us and one we can really attack.”
DEW SEES POSITIVES IN LOSS
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said the Suns put some pride back into their jumper with the way they fought out the match against a side with a finals position on the line.
Coming off a seven-goal loss to Brisbane, Dew said they had their chances to roll Collingwood and that gave him some heart.
“There were some frustrating parts, but after last week we had to put a bit of pride back in,” he said.
“We rushed it at different times ... but (there were) also good examples where we were able to be patient.
“I think the fact that four or five minutes into the last we were within a kick showed our boys turned up to play.
The Suns can still finish the season on a high with their last match against 16th-placed Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Already Gold Coast, even in this shortened season, has eclipsed its four wins for 2019 when it finished last.
The Suns sit 14th with five wins and a draw, although Dew was not keen to compare their efforts this season to last year’s wooden spoon finish.
“It’s hard to compare this group to last year because it’s a totally different look, different players, different people,” Dew said.
“Good teams make you pay and they took their chances”.
SEXTON ENJOYS PIES
At the other end, Gold Coast Suns’ enigmatic forward Alex Sexton was just as dangerous as De Goey early.
Sexton, who was dropped twice this year for poor form, proved a handful for the Pies defence with three consecutive goals in nine minutes.
The Pies defence paid little respect for Sexton as he cut a path through traffic to goal from directly in front and then getting clear of his opponent Jack Madgen to mark 40m out.
His third came after he sharked a marking contest, again with next to no pressure, to bang through the Suns third and put them 13 points up.
A fourth goal beckoned in the second term but Sexton missed the set shot and he also missed a set shot in the last quarter that could have got them within two goals.
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Originally published as Collingwood v Gold Coast Round 17: Jordan De Goey goal haul guarantees Magpies will play finals