AFL round two tips: 'Pain-free' Jordan De Goey to be unleashed as 'Footscray' and Collingwood face off
Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey will make his injury return against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night.
De Goey last featured for the Magpies in round 21 last year, tallying 12 disposals and two goals against Carlton before injuring his hamstring in the three-point win.
After an injury-riddled 2024 which saw De Goey manage just 13 games, the hamstring blow ended his season.
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Jordan De Goey during a Collingwood Magpies training session. Morgan Hancock via Getty Images
Having also battled a groin complaint that hampered him throughout the season, De Goey travelled to Qatar in the off-season to fully rehabilitate.
Now, having overcome his health concerns and put together a training block, De Goey has been given the green light to play after getting through the Pies' main training session on Tuesday.
"It's back to normal, which is nice," De Goey told SEN Breakfast on Thursday.
"I've felt like a bit of an old man for the last year, so it's good to be back pain-free and I'm looking forward to getting out there."
The 29-year-old had a disrupted pre-season with bone bruising in his knee putting him on ice.
But by starting his season a little later, De Goey trusts his fitness is where it needs to be.
Jordan De Goey was subbed off after a hamstring injury against Carlton in round 21 2024. AFL Photos via Getty Images
"I'm pretty close [to full fitness]," he said.
"Obviously, match fitness is a whole different ball game. So, on the weekend, I'll work myself into the game and get my legs underneath me.
"In terms of the fitness block I've done, for sure I'm ready. I've worked with Jarrod Wade the head of fitness. We built a plan at the start of the year, and we've managed to execute it even though I could have potentially got the call-up last week to play.
"We made sure we did it properly and we waited a little bit longer to make sure I finished it."
The Western Bulldogs will play under the Footscray name for the clash as part of the club's centennial celebrations.
Friday's match begins at 7.40pm (AEDT), with the Bulldogs predicting their biggest-ever home and away crowd to mark the occasion.
Scroll below for the current leaderboard and Round 2 tips by all Nine's expert tipsters!
Nine's AFL tipping leaderboard. Nine
Jimmy Bartel: Hawthorn, Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Tom Morris: Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Rory Sloane: Hawthorn, Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Eddie McGuire: Hawthorn, Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Tony Jones: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Clint Stanaway: Carlton, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
Nat Yoannidis: Hawthorn, Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle
