By Peter Ryan and Andrew Wu
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Jordan De Goey racing time for opening round selection
- Tom De Koning in no rush to sign new contract at Carlton
- League chief Andrew Dillon puts State of Origin on agenda for 2026
Jordan De Goey could be the latest star to miss the start of the season as the Collingwood premiership midfielder faces a race against time to be ready to take on the Giants in the final match of opening round.
Although the Magpies are adamant the 28-year-old has not yet been ruled out of the season-opener, they will closely monitor his progress in the next fortnight to determine when best to start his season, acutely aware he battled soft-tissue injuries last season.
Star Collingwood duo Jordan De Goey and Nick Daicos have both had interrupted pre-seasons.Credit: Getty Images
Collingwood starts their season at the Giants’ Engie Stadium on March 9, the first of three matches in 12 days before their bye in round three. That heavy early schedule is likely to be a consideration when they decide the best time for De Goey to return to play.
Collingwood football manager Charlie Gardiner told The Age De Goey was still pushing for selection in opening round but the decision about his availability would be geared to setting him up for a strong season.
Scott Pendlebury chases Nick Daicos at Collingwood training a fortnight ago.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“Jordan has been committed to getting his body right in the off-season to ensure he is best prepared for the upcoming 2025 campaign,” Gardiner said.
“He unfortunately suffered bone bruising to his knee two weeks ago during a contest at training but has since recovered from this injury and is back in full training.
“Jordan is working incredibly hard and focused on preparing himself for the start of the season. His availability for the early rounds of the season will depend on his progress, which we will continue to assess.
“We will not place a ceiling on Jordan, and our priority is to ensure he is not only available but has a consistent season ahead where he is able to perform at his best.”
De Goey is a crucial cog in the Magpies’ premiership campaign, a big-game performer and one of the most dynamic players in the competition. When fit he has an enormous impact on games with his brilliant kicking skills and ability to rise to the occasion.
Meanwhile, Collingwood star Nick Daicos remains on track for opening round after returning from the Christmas break with a minor plantar fasciitis issue. Daicos and Brayden Maynard were installed as vice captain of the Magpies on Wednesday, with Darcy Moore remaining skipper.
However, the Magpies will be without star recruit Dan Houston for opening round as he completes the final match of a five-match suspension imposed last season. Collingwood has a match simulation session against the Brisbane Lions and the Suns on the Gold Coast on Thursday night before playing a practice match against Richmond on February 26.
Already the Giants have ruled Tom Green out of their match against Collingwood while Carlton forward Charlie Curnow, Bulldogs forwards Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Cody Weightman, Geelong midfielder Cam Guthrie, West Coast Elliot Yeo, Richmond’s Hugo Ralphsmith and North Melbourne’s George Wardlaw will be sidelined. Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett is suspended. There are also queries over whether Richmond’s Sam Lalor and St Kilda’s Max King will be available for round one.
Is Tom De Koning staying or going? He’s not ready to say
Andrew Wu
It’s what Tom De Koning did not say that will have every Carlton supporter fretting.
De Koning’s “main focus” is on round one and he “can’t wait” to face Richmond, but those looking for just a hint to him staying in the navy blue in 2026 will be disappointed.
Tom De Koning is in no rush to finalise a contract for next season.Credit: AFL Photos
The biggest fish in this year’s free agency pool is playing his cards close to his chest. De Koning said he has no timeline on when he will make a call on his future. Asked directly if his preference was to remain at Ikon Park, De Koning gave little away.
“It’s nothing that my teammates haven’t gone through before, me as well two years ago,” De Koning said at the AFL’s launch of this year’s Auskick program on Wednesday.
“I’m in a position that’s no different to Crippa, Charlie, Walshy, Harry. I’m really happy where I’m at, just can’t wait to play.”
The Blues have reportedly put forward a seven-year deal worth about $7-8 million, short of the $1.5 million a year contract St Kilda are ready to table, but De Koning said he is no hurry to sign anything. Two years ago, he did not put pen to paper until late July.
Saints’ list boss Stephen Silvagni was at the helm at Carlton when De Koning was selected with pick 30 in the 2018 draft.
“[I’m] not setting a timeline. My main focus now is playing round one against Richmond and waiting for that first bounce,” De Koning said. “That’s where my head’s at. Everything that is happening behind the scenes between with my manager and the club.
“[I’m] happy with where everything is sitting now, [I] just can’t wait to get out there and play round one.”
The Blues, with their tight salary cap and bevy of stars to satisfy financially, may not be able to match rival clubs for money but have carrots to offer that others may not.
One is the prospect of immediate success, the second the opportunity to continue playing with teammates with whom he has tight bonds developed through years of hard times at the foot of the ladder.
“Carlton is the team that’s picked me in the draft, I’ve absolutely loved my time,” De Koning said. “I feel like I’ve grown with this playing group. I feel like we’ve had a lot of games together.
“I’m just really excited to see what this season has to play and how we can go. I think we’ve had the footy together now. We’re in a really good position to challenge for the top spot so can’t wait.
Though yet to finish higher than seventh in the best and fairest, De Koning was pivotal to the Blues’ surge to second in the middle of last season and absent when they plummeted and fell into the eight. He played his best football in the ruck but may be needed forward in the opening rounds if spearhead Charlie Curnow is not ready after three operations in the off-season. He has trained as both a ruck and forward over summer.
“I don’t want to pigeonhole myself too much,” De Koning said. “I think I can add some value to the forward line as well. Depending on form, injuries, opposition I’ll be put in different places.”
Dillon moots State of Origin revival
Andrew Wu
AFL chief Andrew Dillon has flagged the possible return of State of Origin matches next year after the success of last week’s Indigenous All Stars game.
The league is keen to continue staging games for the Indigenous All Stars, possibly biennially, with representative football to take place every other year.
The push comes amid what the league believes is a growing appetite among players and clubs for the return of State of Origin. The match, if given the green light, would likely take place in mid-February, a traditionally quiet month on Australia’s sports calendar.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon.Credit: Joe Armao
“I can’t rule it in, I can’t rule it out,” Dillon said on Wednesday. “It will certainly be a conversation I’d like to have with the players and the clubs.
“I think there seems to be a bit of a groundswell for it. Finding the right time for it is important. Maybe the weekend we had last is sitting there. People are keen for footy.”
State of Origin was last played regularly in 1999, though the Big V was pulled out of mothballs in 2008 for a hall of fame tribute match, and again in February 2020 to raise funds for bushfire victims. Both matches were against an All Stars team made up of players from outside Victoria.
The league’s Indigenous players relished the rare chance to represent their people in the game against Fremantle last weekend, attended by a strong crowd of 37,865. Their keenness to play the match was in contrast to the waning enthusiasm among players in the 1990s to play for their state.
“The best bit for us was the way the clubs and the players embraced it,” Dillon said. “That led to the fans and the people viewing it. I thought the footy was really good too.
“The question for us now is how often do you play it? Where does rep footy fit in? I think the weekend showed that it is a good weekend for rep footy, how that plays out into the future will be discussed with the clubs and players in the next weeks and months.
“We’re absolutely committed to Indigenous All Stars, whether that’s every year or every couple of years, I think that’s the bit we’ve got to work through.
“In the other years I think that’s where you look at other types of representative football. Whether it’s forms of State of Origin or All Stars, they’re the things we need to discuss.”
Wednesday was not the first time Dillon has raised the prospect of reviving state football since he became the league’s chief executive officer.
“I’d love to see the best of the best playing in the men’s and women’s competition. How that plays itself out is a conversation [worth having],” Dillon said last June, days after 90,084 watched game two of the NRL’s State of Origin at the MCG.
“I’d love to get the feedback from our players and from our clubs. It is something that I would really like to investigate.”
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