St Kilda have become more confident of landing Jordan De Goey as Collingwood refuse to waive their contact behavior clauses amid a tense standoff, with Essendon also circling.
De Goey rejected a five-year offer from the Magpies earlier this week which was believed to include strict stipulations based on behavior given his history of off-field offending.
While De Goey was expected to eventually re-sign with Collingwood, 7 News Reporter Tom Browne has revealed that the future of the star free agent is now truly open.
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“This is now a contract issue for his services. Collingwood, tonight, I don’t know their answer,” Browne said 7 News on Thursday night.
“Now St Kilda really believe they have a chance to land Jordan De Goey and pull off what could be an absolutely massive coup, bearing in mind they are unlikely to have the conduct clauses, or at least as strict as Collingwood insist “.
St Kilda confirmed on Thursday that they remain interested in De Goey and expect a decision very soon.
“We’ve had a number of conversations with Jordan and his management over a few months. He’s got a big decision to make and the time is fast approaching for that decision,” Saints list boss James Gallagher told Trade Radio.
“I anticipate that in the next two or three days he will make that call. That will shape a little bit what we do over the next few weeks, but we think he would be an outstanding choice for our football club and our football team. He is an outstanding player , is a great player and has a lot of footwork up front.
“But he’s a Collingwood player. He’s been there a long time, he’s got pretty strong relationships there, so it’s a big decision for him.”
He goes ahead of Collingwood’s best and fairest on Friday night, where the 26-year-old is expected to return to the poll after a strong season following his top-five ranking in the tally last year.
Meanwhile, Essendon “hasn’t given up hope” on De Goey, according to senior reporter Damian Barrett. A group of senior Bombers players, including Jake Stringer, reportedly spoke to De Goey earlier this month about joining them in Tullamarine.
Essendon has huge cap space with millions of dollars to spend on big-name recruits, although the club has not been linked with any big names.
Jordan De Goey tries to secede from the parish of Darcy. Photo by Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
De Goey is a restricted free agent, meaning the Magpies can match any offer he accepts from a rival club, but are in dispute over the conduct clauses in his new deal.
The midfielder/gun forward is said to want more clarity on what would constitute an incident that warrants breaking his contract, with the final three years of Collingwood’s five-year deal dependent on him avoiding further drama and scandal outside the rural area.
Reports on Wednesday that De Goey had already committed to Collingwood were incorrect.
“We can tell you today that the Essendon Football Club has not given up hope, even at this late stage, of potentially entering into conversation with Jordan De Goey,” Barrett told Trade Radio.
“Without a doubt, they were a club of interest during the season. Narrowing and fine-tuning their coaching search, Brad Scott is being interviewed today by the Bombers (and should be named)… (that may) at least provide some clarity on who the coach will be and maybe have a chat with Jordan De Goey for sure about who is their manager next year.
“They (Collingwood, Essendon and St Kilda) are the three clubs still in the mix.
“I still feel he’s going to get over those conduct clause issues with the Collingwood Football Club and stay, but as we keep saying in this business, until the signature is up for grabs, it’s still got to be official.”