Josh Thomas agrees to new deal with Collingwood after serving time out through drugs ban

THREE years ago he was delisted, handed a two-year ban and heavily fined for breaching ASADA’s drug code. Now he’s set to sign a lengthy new deal after proving to be a crucial piece of Collingwood’s finals assault.

JOSH Thomas has completed his remarkable comeback from an ASADA drugs ban after agreeing to a three-year deal with Collingwood.

The Pies goalkicking midfielder has enjoyed a superb season, kicking 27.9 and five bags of three or more goals.

The Herald Sun understands the terms of the deal have been agreed, only days after another three-goal performance against West Coast.

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Collingwood rookie-listed Thomas and Lachie Keeffe despite them testing positive for clenbuterol contained in illicit drugs taken at the St Kilda festival in 2015.

It meant that after nine senior games last year, Thomas was this season on a base wage of just over $100,000 plus match payments.

The three-year deal is reward for his form after many believed the Pies were being overly generous in retaining Keeffe and Thomas through their bans.

It is another show of faith in the club, with new list manager Ned Guy this year signing up Jordan De Goey, Jaidyn Stephenson, Ben Reid, Matthew Scharenberg and James Aish.

The 26-year-old accepted a two-year drug ban in August 2015, delisted and fined $50,000 by the club as required under AFL and ASADA guidelines.

He said of the ban back then: “It was tough to swallow in some ways, but there was no one else to blame but myself. So I copped it on the chin.”

Thomas worked as an Uber driver and at a gym, worked on business degree, and for a single day in a factory making garlic bread.

But while it took most of the 2017 season to hit his stride, he has exploded this year as a tough midfielder who just keeps on kicking goals.

Josh Thomas and Lachie Keeffe in 2015.

After his four-goal haul against Gold Coast in Brisbane, coach Nathan Buckley lauded his determination.

“The journey that he has travelled has been a pretty tough one. Not many blokes have a couple of years off in the middle of their career,” Buckley said.

“You don’t get to see that very often. His capacity to fight back and play the type of footy as consistently as he has this year. All credit to him.

“He’s hit the scoreboard for us, he’s very clean, he’s got a lot of talent and his work rate is high, he covers the ground well and he’s starting to get reward for a lot of setbacks, some in his control and some outside of it.”

Josh Thomas kicks another goal earlier this season. Pic: AAP

Thomas is among the Pies’ good-news stories of 2018. Pic: Getty Images

The Pies must still secure out-of-contract stars Darcy Moore and Jamie Elliott, with both finally back from hamstring issues.

There are varying reports about their interest in Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch, with speculation they have cooled their interest in him.

If the Pies have enough salary cap room they may instead decide to chase the Gold Coast’s other co-captain Steven May.

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