Inside Collingwood’s biggest list calls: What does the future hold for key Magpies?
De Goey and Darcy are objective 1A and 1B for Collingwood this off-season, but both men will command big dollars. With a number of players out of contract or on the way out, the Pies have a number of bit calls to make.
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Jordan De Goey has told Collingwood he will sign a new contract with the Pies as retirements and payouts clear cap space for the 24-year-old and All Australian contender Darcy Moore.
De Goey is negotiating his own contract with advice from father Roger, having expressed several times publicly that he wants to stay at Collingwood.
He had also made that opinion clear to the Pies as he considers a contract extension on a two-year deal on around $800,000 that expires this season.
The simplest solution would be to sign a two-season extension that would hand him free agency rights at the age of 26 and then sign a five-year mega-deal with the Pies or another rival.
But rival player managers said on Tuesday a long-term deal with an exit clause at free agency similar to Josh Kelly’s contract at GWS should also appeal to De Goey.
Kelly and West Coast’s Andrew Gaff have the ability to break their contracts at free agency but in Gaff’s case he will activate another four-season contract from 2021.
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A contract with incentives for performance that also factored in the potential rise in the salary cap in the long-term future would safeguard De Goey and allow him to earn seven figures in coming seasons.
Moore will remain at Collingwood with strong progress being made on a new contract.
Collingwood players who are likely to call time on their careers include Ben Reid, Lynden Dunn and Tim Broomhead, with the uncontracted Travis Varcoe turning 33 in April next year.
Collingwood will also secure salary relief when it comes to an agreement on the last two seasons of Dayne Beams’ contract, with the Pie having played nine games in total.
Matt Scharenberg is out of contract after being a trade target last year as the Pies eventually moved James Aish to Fremantle for cap relief.
Levi Greenwood has played three games in his comeback from a knee reconstruction and is on a modest salary so will hope to shore up his future with a strong finals showing.
Brody Mihocek, Flynn Appleby, Jack Magden and Josh Daicos are also unsigned, with Jordan Roughead signing a two-year extension over summer the club only released in recent weeks.
The future of Tom Phillips is uncertain given he is contracted to 2021 on an incentive-laden contract.
Geelong now boasts elite wingmen after being keen to acquire Phillips in a trade last season.
De Goey’s stunning impact was laid bare against Gold Coast in his return from a finger tendon injury.
De Goey had seven score involvements in his 10 disposals and the Collingwood forward line operated as well as it has at any time this year.
As de Goey played only one game between Rounds 6-16 the Pies ranked 17th in points from defensive half chains and 15th in points per inside 50 and kicks inside 50 retained.
Against Gold Coast, in the win that sealed finals participation, they kicked their fourth-highest points tally for the year and had their best game in kicking scores from defensive chains.
‘He’s done a lot of work so it’s not going to be a conditioning question,” Buckley said.
“He hasn’t done a lot of touch, as such. He looked pretty sharp.”
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Mason Cox also showed he had a future at the Pies after ticking off a games-based clause for 2021, kicking a spectacular running goal after a bounce on the run.
“I think he’s just starting to look more likely and we saw that again (Monday),” Buckley said.
“He took a few marks late last week and his capacity to get on the end of a few (Monday) was good, and it just breeds confidence in his teammates to go to him more often and that makes a difference, no doubt.
“If you‘re more dangerous in more different places on the field then you’re harder to defend.”