St Kilda’s board has backed the pursuit of Collingwood free agent Jordan De Goey up to and until he re-signs with the Pies.
St Kilda football head Simon Lethlean said the board supported the club chasing any and all free agents as long as it had done extensive background work on the player and the player fitted with the club’s overall list strategy.
Jordan De Goey is a free agent and talks with the Magpies have been put off until the end of their season.Credit: AFL Photos
He said the board was comfortable with De Goey as a fit for the club and the plan behind trying to secure the dynamic midfielder and forward.
“We have always had board support for us to look at any free agents or tradeable player as long as they fit in our strategy and we have done our due diligence. We have done work on Jordan De Goey along with all other players that are out as free agents or tradeable players this year, but De Goey is the topical one at the moment,” Lethlean said.
“I am conscious of not wanting to talk about other clubs’ players, but we keep getting asked about him in particular. We are interested in De Goey and up until such time as he says he is staying at the Pies we will keep monitoring his situation and speak with his management.”
The Saints had a disappointing finish to the season; having spent most of the year inside the top eight they failed to make finals. De Goey is considered to be the type of powerful midfielder and dynamic forward that the Saints list is lacking.
Importantly he is also a restricted free agent, so the club would not have to trade for him unless Collingwood matched any contract offer they were to make.
Early this year Collingwood withdrew a contract offer for De Goey after a video emerged from a mid-season trip to Bali that embarrassed the club.
The club said at the time that it had withdrawn the contract and would put off discussion around potentially making a new contract offer until the end of the year.
While there was a frustration with De Goey at the club at the time and a strong push to part ways with him, those sentiments have ameliorated in the intervening months and now there is a greater appetite at the Magpies to seek to re-sign De Goey.
Senior coach Craig McRae and numerous senior players, including Brayden Maynard, have spoken warmly of De Goey and their desire to see him remain at the club.
St Kilda’s consideration of De Goey comes as Lethlean prepares to move from head of football to the CEO’s role and on Wednesday he confirmed that former North Melbourne CEO Carl Dilena will join the Saints as their new chief operating officer.
Lethlean said Dilena’s appointment would provide valuable support for him as a first-time CEO.
“Carl has broad industry experience. He is an important addition for us as we continue to draw down our debt to focus on football,” Lethlean said.
Former North Melbourne CEO Carl Dilena has joined St Kilda as COO.Credit: Michael Clayton-Jones
“Additionally we have a new business in the Danny Frawley Centre and a new CEO, being me.
“I am giving up a portfolio of football plus strategy, operations and legal so that requires senior operators to lead it and as a first-time CEO it’s important to have that support from Carl as well.”
Dilena will take over as COO and have finance operations, strategy and IT under his control while David Rath will become head of football performance and James Gallagher head of list and talent management.
Dilena stood down as CEO of North Melbourne in 2019 after six years in the job, a period in which he had overseen the club eradicate its debt. He had been on the North board for five years before becoming the CEO.
He left North amid a period of sweeping changes to all leadership positions at the club under former chairman Ben Buckley. Within months the club changed its CEO, football manager, senior coach and list manager.
Dilena has a solid football understanding, having also been a senior player for Fitzroy and North Melbourne.
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