Player manager Liam Pickering believes Jordan De Goey's current situation at Collingwood isn't too dissimilar to the one his client, Dane Swan, faced in his early days at the club and believes the 21-year-old should follow in Swan's footsteps to fulfil his potential as a footballer.
Swan's early career troubles were well documented before he went on to become one of Collingwood's all-time greats, with Pickering telling SEN Breakfast how close Swan was to being shown the door.
โThat was pretty much the message Swanny got, that was going back to the early 2000โs. They had pretty much run out of patience with Swanny at that stage,โ he said.
โHe was told in no uncertain terms that he needed to get himself out of that group. He did immerse himself more with his teammates, but then he also started to play regularly.
โOnce you play regularly you become more a part of the group anyway. At that stage he was in and out of the side, he was only a young buck.โ
De Goey's extensive punishment for his latest indiscretion is somewhat comparative to Swan's after he pleaded guilty to affray following a brawl at Federation Square in 2003 as Pickering added Swan's friendships didn't end as a result of his actions.
โWhat he did was get in the footy crew, but he never lost that friendship. He stayed good mates with those guys, heโs overseas with one of those guys now,โ Pickering said.
โTheyโre still great mates, but he did was he also immersed himself in the Collingwood group and then got in with all his rat pack mates as it turned out.
โHe wasnโt going to be told that he couldnโt see, one was his cousin and one was his great mate.โ
Essendon legend Tim Watson added De Goey had some serious decisions to be made in the near future.
โMaybe you do. Maybe you do have to cut them out of your life all together,โ he said.
โYou can actually have lunch with them, but then if youโre going to make them your mates after that, thatโs when youโre finding yourself in trouble.โ
