Jordan de Goey on his way to becoming Collingwood’s most important player, Dermott Brereton writes

PART of Jordan de Goey’s penance for drink-driving was community service. He has spent many hours helping in secret by feeding the homeless. It seems the hard line taken on him is working. He stands to be Collingwood’s most important player.

Jordan de Goey is an emerging star of the competition.

THERE are conflicting descriptions for the height and weight of Jordan de Goey.

Some sites list him at 187cm and 84kg.

And other sites have him as 191cm and 91kg.

I was in the Collingwood rooms after the Anzac Day match. I interviewed Jordan for Foxtel. He was in bare feet and I wore heeled shoes. At the very least I would estimate he is 190cm. And he is a “big” 190 as well.

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Yet some scribes still ask if he is big enough to play the majority of his football as a stay at home key position type of forward.

I’ve got your answer — he is plenty big enough.

And yet he still has the agility and the know-how to go into the centre bounce and perform to a high standard as a contested ball, clearance player.

If Dusty Martin and Patrick Dangerfield are the prototypes for 70-30 on-ball/stay at home forwards, then de Goey is the prototype for the reverse percentages.

In fact there are some similarities between Dusty and de Goey.

De Goey plays in a similar style to Dustin Martin. Picture: Michael Klein

Could de Goey end up being as good as Dusty? Picture: Michael Klein

Firstly, both break tackles seemingly at will. Dusty has a patent on the “don’t argue” style of escape. And de Goey has a technique where, like Dusty, he runs an arc generally towards his team’s goal, but Jordan chops away the tackler’s attempted arm tackle.

Incidentally, the best player at this technique that I ever saw was a guy by the name of Betrolamev DiPierdomenico. And like Dusty, he won a Brownlow.

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Both de Goey and Dusty run pretty powerfully through an arced turn. So unless the tackler incorporates their bodies into the action, nearly every time they will come up second best.

In straight line pace, Dusty has the edge. Both Dusty and Jordan like being one out in a marking contest close to goal (but which forward in the history of the game doesn’t like that?).

Dusty prefers to body up and strongly buffet his opponent away from the true drop zone, but rarely marks overhead.

Jordan de Goey is an emerging star of the competition. Picture: Michael Klein

Jordan while also liking body contact, is much stronger at marking overhead and taking the ball higher off the ground.

Under real heat and pressure both men make incredibly good decisions.

The statistics will show that Dusty has made the most clanger kicks in the comp over the last couple of seasons. But I believe that is a misrepresentation because of the amount of times he gets the ball and that his team requires him to be daring by foot.

De Goey has a remarkably clear head and excellent vision while under pressure. He is an excellent kick, but Dusty is still a smidgen better because he makes the ball travel so quickly through the air.

I really was impressed by de Goey’s size at close quarters. He is a bigger specimen than Dusty, so he requires a key-position sized backman, or at least a very experienced one that knows the ropes.

De Goey is an excellent mark above his head. Picture: Sarah Reed

He took a matchwinning mark against the Lions late in the Pies’ narrow win at the Gabba, kicking a crucial goal. Picture: Getty

Some Collingwood supporters will ask” “Why, if he has been so good since his return, why didn’t we just penalise him in another fashion at the start of the season and play him from Round 1?”

Collingwood has stated all along that they believe it is about the formation of character for this young man.

Part of his penance for his drink-driving indiscretion was quite a few hours of community service. Jordan has spent many of those hours in the city participating in secret by feeding the homeless.

It would seem that the hard line taken on him by the club to assist in the further development of his character is working.

I hope Jordan doesn’t mind me divulging this, but I know that last weekend after the St Kilda game he was on hand once again, late at night, handing out meals and spending time with those less fortunate.

De Goey is one of Collingwood’s most important players for now and for the future.

The kicker on this is I’m led to believe that Collingwood’s mandated community service time ran out several weeks ago. In essence he had finished his sentence yet he still went to do this charity work because he felt it was the right thing to do.

De Goey really impressed me when I got to meet him several weeks ago.

His bio reveals he is a St Kevin’s old boy, and although he was capable of exuding an air of confidence that comes naturally to many from a private school background, he portrayed a devilish, friendly side that said his DNA was more blue collar working class.

More straight talking, hard grafting, no nonsense.

And make no mistake, he is a genuine superstar prospect on the field.

Collingwood and Nathan Buckley will do everything within their power to keep him — the thought of the Pies’ No.2 at age 24 or 25 is tantalising.

By the time Collingwood pushes into realistic premiership territory he stands to be the club’s most important player.

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Originally published as Jordan de Goey on his way to becoming Collingwood’s most important player, Dermott Brereton writes