How Pies can salvage De Goey departure

As Jordan De Goey weighs up interest from Collingwood’s rivals — including Carlton — there’s a silver lining awaiting the Magpies if their forward takes up a bumper deal elsewhere.

Bucks had some strong words after the Pies’ loss to Geelong on Jordan De Goey’s contract negotiations. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Collingwood’s dream of poaching Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron could become a reality if Jordan De Goey accepts fierce rival Carlton’s godfather contract offer.

Coach Nathan Buckley conceded De Goey was chasing the biggest bag of cash, which is unlikely to come from the Magpies given their salary cap constraints.

There is no way Collingwood could afford both De Goey, 24, and Cameron, 27, in the same forward line next year.

But De Goey’s departure would free up $800,000 for the Magpies to splash at Cameron, leaving them as the wildcard in the race.

If the planets align they could even profit from their matchwinner’s departure, given they would receive a bonanza of high draft picks for trading De Goey and could then sign free agent Cameron for nothing.

List manager Ned Guy worked as a player agent at Hemisphere, which manages Cameron, before joining the Pies.

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Collingwood could make a play for Jeremy Cameron if Jordan De Goey leaves.

“Elements of people on (De Goey’s) side would like to see him remunerated as well as he possibly could,” Buckley said after his team was ambushed by Geelong on Saturday night.

“I think that’s (money) what it comes down to.”

De Goey sacked agent Ben Niall earlier this year. He is managing himself, with support from dad Roger De Goey.

The Magpies desperately want to bolster their offence and Buckley said the game had evolved from one-dimensional full-forwards, possibly such as Ben Brown and Paddy McCartin.

“The way the game is played, and the way it’s being contested and defended, the bigger, more cumbersome forwards are not your answer,” Buckley said.

Cameron‘s agility and running power is one of his greatest weapons and GWS has a five-year deal worth as much as $750,000 a year on the table

Geelong is also hotly pursuing the spearhead.

De Goey knocked back a bumper $5 million mega offer from North Melbourne in 2017, but may not be prepared to sacrifice as much cash this time.

“The only time I thought (leaving) was when my manager was on the phone said ‘North have upped their offer and (said) it was $1 million,” De Goey said in 2018.

“$1 million-a-year for five years’, and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh s**t’.

“Everyone wants to be a millionaire, don’t you?“

Collingwood is also on the verge of signing star defender Darcy Moore, with the All-Australian revealing an announcement was imminent.

Jordan De Goey is yet to sign a new deal and has interest from rivals including Carlton.

The club remains confident De Goey will also stay and has high hopes for injured teenage goalkicker Will Kelly.

“We would’ve played Will Kelly all season if we could’ve. We think he’s a really likely type,“ Buckley said.

The Magpies are also bullish about 194cm Mark Keane, although they are unsure which end of the ground he will settle.

But Cameron would be an instant fix for a club which has won a final for three-straight years and, as Buckley pointed out, only played three bad games.

They were destroyed by Geelong (68 points), West Coast (66), and Melbourne (56) and got within three goals in the other 16 matches.

Surely by Round 1 he will have a contract extension past 2021, and yet the decisions he makes alongside his list management group and assistant coaches will have a major bearing on the ability to win that elusive flag.