Jordan De Goey’s decision to hire his dad as manager could backfire, writes Jay Clark
Bringing your dad in to be your manager might sound good in theory. But unless Jordan De Goey wants to secretly go to North Melbourne, his decision has the capacity to seriously backfire. Jay Clark explains why.
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It sounds good in theory, bringing your dad in to manage your contract negotiations.
Avoid a three per cent fee, and keep things in the family.
Maybe even take the parents on a nice little holiday at the end of it all.
But unless Jordan De Goey wants to secretly go to North Melbourne for a blockbuster offer they’re not in a position to hand out, the call to bring in his father Roger as his new manager has the capacity to backfire on the superstar forward ahead of crucial talks with the club.
As far as we know, De Goey wants about $1 million a year after knocking back that figure from the Kangaroos two years ago.
But after another up-and-down and injury-affected season, it is widely agreed De Goey is worth about $750,000 a year, with a capacity to earn up to another $150,000 if he finishes in the top-three of the best and fairest.
That way, if he has a blockbuster year and snags 40-50 goals with influential swings through the midfield, De Goey can still get $900,000.
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But Collingwood, after forking out an average $950,000 a year for Brodie Grundy, and about $800,000 for Darcy Moore, is right to stand on its heels a bit on this one.
Would it be a bit reckless to give a man whose highest finish in the best and fairest is eighth seven figures? Probably.
But this is where De Goey might have pulled the wrong rein on his representation.
As much as managers can get a bad rap at times, their expertise on contract value and the trade landscape can come in real handy when it comes to wanting a particularly large pay cheque and long-term deals.
Put the pending sexual assault charge aside for a moment.
What a manager would be telling De Goey right now is that he is not worth and not going to get $1 million at Collingwood off the back of another inconsistent season.
And also what Roger probably didn’t know a few months ago is where all the likely moves are going to be made, and who has the cash to spare, and who hasn’t.
For example, if Carlton planned to spend its money on Zac Williams and Adam Saad this whole time, the Blues probably weren’t the right tree to bark up.
They would be an attractive place to land if De Goey was going to go anywhere after a decade in the doldrums, but the Blues weren’t keen on the Magpies’ goal kicker, they made clear this week.
Simply, a manager would have had to have put that call in to Carlton much earlier in the piece.
Maybe St Kilda has the salary cap space to land a De Goey type, and you couldn’t put it past Graham Allen to work a left-field move at the death.
But Brisbane, like St Kilda, was building nicely in 2009 when the Lions went hard for Brendan Fevola, Brent Staker and Matt Maguire, too.
And we know how that worked out.
De Goey on a $1 million a year would be a huge gamble for any club.
Collingwood has a tight salary cap and could yet let go midfielder Adam Treloar in a move that would land the Pies a first-round draft pick or the salary cap space to make a super-late and super-hard move for Jeremy Cameron.
Cameron is exactly what the Pies need, more than anything.
A genuinely mobile key forward who would be the new centrepiece of a forward line which has failed to fire for the best part of two years.
Collingwood’s list manager Ned Guy used to work for Cameron’s management group alongside director Alex McDonald.
If anyone knows the lay of the land with Cameron, who kicked three goals a game when he won the Coleman Medal last year, it’s Guy.
And the reality is Treloar slotted one goal for the season and only three score assists for the season, according to Champion Data.
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He ramped up his work in the clinches, Treloar, averaging five clearances and 13 contested possessions a game, but he is at his best when he is running the lines and as a whole the Magpies did not get as many goals as they needed out of their engine room.
That includes De Goey who slotted 14 majors from 10 games in 2020.
It’s not a million-dollar a year output, regardless of the broken finger, and respectfully four of those came against Gold Coast.
It might not be the advice De Goey wants to hear, or advice his father wants to give.
Perhaps it’s best to take the emotion out of the decision, which is exactly what a manager is paid to do.
Originally published as Jordan De Goey’s decision to hire his dad as manager could backfire, writes Jay Clark