Collingwood forward Jordan De Goey headlines Magpie re-signings; club outlines national draft plans
Fresh from re-signing four players, including Jordan De Goey, Collingwood is keen to bolster its position in the national draft after a controversial trade period.
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Collingwood will be working “the phones” with rival AFL clubs before Wednesday night’s national draft as it looks to aggressively move up the order with recruiting manager Derek Hine saying the Magpies want to secure four picks inside the top 40.
Currently, the Magpies have picks 14 and 16 in the first round, but Hine is hopeful the club can move up the list by offering options for next year’s draft.
The Magpies were soundly criticised for their trade period action with the departure of key players Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson, but Hine is confident the draft booty can partly show fans the rationale behind those contentious moves.
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Collingwood has a swag of late picks — including 65, 66, 68 and 75 — which it wants to upgrade. Hine indicated the club will be one of the most active participants with an intention to use five or six picks.
“We will look at the scope to be trading up ... to come in at the front end of the draft,” Hine told the club’s website. “We have a lot of scope there.
“We are mindful we have got various levers from the 2021 group of picks we have got that we can use to get into this particular draft, which we clearly rate highly. We go to the draft with the potential to have six picks, but that’s not to say we will take all the picks.”
On a day in which the Magpies announced the re-signing of four players — Jordan De Goey, Brody Mihocek, Levi Greenwood and Anton Tohill — Hine said the club’s list management strategy would become clearer in part after the national draft.
He also said it would give the Magpies greater flexibility to attack the free agency period next year.
“We have got two picks inside the first round (on Wednesday night) and we haven’t been in that position for quite some time,” he said.
“The last time we had two picks inside 20 was De Goey and (Darcy) Moore. We would like to build on that.
“The plan is to potentially have four to five picks inside the (top) 40, which will set us up really well.
“The decisions we have made in the last four to five weeks haven’t just happened ... it is important we use all levers to get up the list. That doesn’t only include the draft, it includes the way we develop our players and the way we attack free agency.”
Collingwood is eligible to match any bid for its Next Generation Academy player Reef McInnes, with Hine saying the club had a good reading on his potential, despite the fact he missed out on playing this year due to the pandemic.
“He is a unique talent, he stands at 193cm now and he has shown scope in all areas of the ground,” Hine said of McInnes.
“I see him playing initially back and then maybe working through the midfield.
“He has been unable to present like the interstate boys. That has been a bit of a frustration for Reef and for us, as well as the other Victorian boys.
“He has sustained a period of time where he has had injuries. He seems to be over them now.
“We have a small advantage in that we know him really well through the NGA programs ... (but) it is only marginal.”
DE GOEY LANDS RICH NEW DEAL
Collingwood has announced a raft of re-signings, with explosive forward Jordan De Goey inking a new lucrative two-year deal.
De Goey, who is now managed by his father, is reported to have signed a new contract worth close to $800,000 a season.
The 24-year-old missed a large chunk of the 2020 season with a finger injury, playing just 10 games in the black and white. Although he at times showed his matchwinning prowess, notably kicking five goals in a Round 7 win over 2020 runner-up Geelong.
Forward Brody Mihocek will also stay in the Magpies’ nest after signing a new three-year deal.
It is a win for the Magpies after initial fears earlier this year he could be squeezed out due to the club’s salary cap crunch.
Mihocek has been one of the club’s best recruiting stories in recent years after being plucked from the VFL as a defender to turn into a reliable, selfless forward.
Midfielder Levi Greenwood has also signed a new one-year extension, along with rookie Anton Tohill.
“We’re really pleased with the shape and commitment of the group,” list manager Ned Guy said. “We’re likely to complete the 2021 squad over the next couple of days with the national and rookie drafts and be in a good position to attack next season when we return in the new year.
“Jordy and Brody have been central to our forward line for some time and to retain Levi’s experience and hardness and offer Anton the opportunity to keep developing is something we were keen to do.”
Meanwhile, Collingwood premiership skipper Nick Maxwell and Marcus Wagner will succeed outgoing football boss Geoff Walsh on an interim basis.
The pair will share the running of the Magpies’ football department until a permanent successor is appointed.
Maxwell, who skippered the Magpies’ last premiership side in 2010, returned to the club as leadership and culture manager in late 2017.
He finished up as NRL premier Melbourne Storm’s leadership coach following six years at the club in October.
The Magpies say he’ll add “responsibility for coaching, analysis, player engagement and welfare to his leadership and culture portfolio.”
While Wagner, who has held several senior positions over a 13-year career with the club, will focus on ‘performance and strategy, strength and conditioning, medical teams and operations.’
The club says a permanent successor for Walsh – who will depart the club on December 18 – would be made in the new year.
Originally published as Collingwood forward Jordan De Goey headlines Magpie re-signings; club outlines national draft plans
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