Collingwood faces dilemma of Jordan De Goey’s huge talent and history of indiscretions

The Pies had one hand on the 2018 premiership thanks to Jordan De Goey - now they face a dangerous ultimatum trading in their new image for his flag winning talent.

Collingwood’s Jordan de Goey arrives back in Australia.

The awfully inconvenient reality for Collingwood as it considers Jordan De Goey’s future is that the Pies are in the business of winning AFL premierships.

De Goey flew back into Australia on Tuesday ahead of his December 8 court appearance – likely via Zoom – to answer Manhattan assault and harassment charges.

As Collingwood says, the very best interpretation of De Goey’s latest transgression is a player supposedly on a fitness camp in California somehow finding himself allegedly whacking a random male in a late-night scuffle while arguing over pilfered drinks from a $500 bottle of booze.

The easiest resolution for the Pies when he originally faced forcible touching charges, which have since been dropped, was to finally realise De Goey had lost his right to play for this proud club again.

Yet with De Goey’s lawyers fighting hard to downgrade or remove his current charges, everything else is a shade of grey.

Collingwood star Jordan De Goey and tattoo artist Luke Dyson partying in New York.

The outcomes are placed within the context of two very different priorities.

One, how does Collingwood reset its club under new coach Craig McRae and with the shadow of the ‘Do Better’ report hanging over its head, to ensure only players of character and fortitude play in the black and white?

Two, how does a club that – under a harsh interpretation – has frittered away six first-round picks through recent trades win a flag if they move on arguably their most dynamic player?

Those two priorities are mutually exclusive, and yet somehow in coming weeks Collingwood will have to find a middle ground.

The pragmatists would say that De Goey plays on because everyone deserves a second chance in footy, and in life.

The problem for Collingwood is that De Goey has used up multiple lives.

There was a 2015 incident for which he wrote a letter of apology and was then charged in July 2020 for indecent assault. Those charges were dropped in August this year.

There is the 2017 broken hand incident that the footballer blamed on playing with his dog, but later turned out to be the result of a bar-room fight.

After the lie was exposed the club suspended him for three weeks and then-footy boss Geoff Walsh said: “We hope that Jordan will turn this moment in his career to his advantage by committing to being an outstanding footballer, teammate and ambassador for the club.”

Jordan De Goey’s future at Collingwood is in limbo. Picture: Michael Klein

There are the three separate driving incidents – such as driving with a suspended licence – that in isolation are minor, but in context show De Goey plays fast and loose.

There is the drink-driving incident (0.095 BAC) in 2018 that saw him banned from the club for four weeks and De Goey pledging to change his ways.

The club then stated: “Jordan has agreed to make significant changes to his social life and associations, a pledge the club supports and will monitor.”

So is this the eighth chance? His likely third internal suspension?

On that score any fair-minded person would wonder how De Goey remains at Collingwood if any charges are upheld.

The problem for Collingwood is winning flags is about talent.

Since the last trade period for various reasons the Pies have lost Jaidyn Stephenson, Adam Treloar and Dayne Beams off their list and traded away a 2021 first-round draft pick that, if kept, would have seen them secure No.2 overall selection Finn Callaghan as well as father-son Nick Daicos.

For the outlay of six first-rounders they have got some selections back — pick 14 for Treloar, an array of points for their 2021 pick, 26 in the deal that saw them lose Stephenson and Atu Bosenavulagi, 24 and 30 for the 2021 first-rounder.

De Goey has extraordinary talent as the kind of in-demand explosive goalkicking mid-forward that has produced the past five Norm Smith medallists.

The ruthless Graeme Richmond-style footy bosses of old would frame the De Goey scenario like this: “suspend him for 10 weeks to change his behaviour. That will keep the fans and sponsors happy, then if he leaves as a free agent next year we probably get a top-six draft pick as free agency compensation given we won’t be much good in 2022.”

There is no doubt rivals will come for De Goey.

Joe Daniher got a fat deal at Brisbane despite 15 games in the preceding three years (and Essendon got first-round compensation), while the Pies came at Beams despite his own issues simmering under the surface.

De Goey must be suspended by the Pies for the start of next season, although if they could leave out the press release statement about him changing his ways and vowing to be better it would save us all a lot of time.

Collingwood star Jordan de Goey arrives back in Australia.

They probably don’t have cause to sack him anyway unless the assault charges are upheld.

But he would surely have to swear off the booze in-season – as his coach McRae did before his infamous Mad Monday ringleading antics – given so many of De Goey’s issues are alcohol-related.

And he would have to swear off the kind of friends who are happy to gain followers posting Instagram videos of De Goey looking like a prize fool dancing around in his dressing gown.

Finding a resolution to the De Goey conundrum that gives him one final chance while still setting the Pies up for a free agency payday if he lets them down again will be a mighty delicate balancing act.

De Goey has painted Collingwood into a corner once more just when players of his calibre are in desperately short supply for a club chasing its 16th AFL premiership.