'I always wanted to stay': Jordan De Goey opens up on 'stressful' Collingwood contract talks
Jordan De Goey says he never wanted to leave Collingwood, despite being presented a lucrative offer from St Kilda, and claims he is satisfied with the behavioural clauses in his new contract.
An off-contract De Goey last month rejected a desperate St Kilda pursuit and inked a five-year deal with Collingwood, tying himself to the Magpies until the end of 2027.
"It's a bit of a stressful period of time but, at the bottom of my heart, I always wanted to stay at the Pies," De Goey told reporters on Wednesday.
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Jordan De Goey says he always wanted to remain a Magpie despite being offered a lucrative contract from St Kilda. Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
"At the end of the day, it was good to get the deal done.
"I think we have a really good, emerging list, and I am just happy to be a part of it."
One hurdle in the contract talks was Collingwood's insistence on behavioural clauses.
In October 2021, De Goey was arrested in New York and charged with forcible touching and assault following an incident in a nightclub. Those charges were downgraded and he was found guilty of a harassment violation, which is not considered a crime.
The 26-year-old was engulfed in another controversy on a trip to Bali during the mid-season bye, which led to the Magpies withdrawing their initial contract offer.
De Goey and Collingwood got in a tangle over behavioural clauses when contract talks resumed, but they eventually agreed to behavioural clauses for the first two years of his new deal.
"It was a little bit of a sticking point there for a while there but, at the end of the day, we both kind of agreed what was best for me and also for the footy club, and we worked to get something that was good for both of us," De Goey said.
In shunning St Kilda, De Goey re-committed to a club that had drafted him in 2014.
In 137 AFL games as a Magpie, he's booted 173 goals and averaged 18 disposals per match.
"We had a lot of interviews, meetings, kind of did all the due protocols to try and get the best understanding of what it would be like if I went there," De Goey said of his St Kilda talks.
"But, like I said at the start, I was pretty happy staying a Pie and I didn't want to leave."
