Brisbane great Justin Leppitsch believes it would be a bold move for Collingwood to trade their under-fire star in Jordan De Goey, but they wouldn’t have much to lose by trying it.
De Goey has been out of sorts in the first seven rounds of 2021, averaging just over a goal and only one tackle a game.
While Leppitsch stopped short of saying whether or not he’d trade De Goey, he admits the pressure on list managers is cruical in situations such as these.
“We put good players on long contracts but very rarely do we trade good players,” Leppitsch said.
“(But) let’s say they trade (Jordan) De Goey to Melbourne and they do get it wrong and he becomes a fantastic player. What’s the worst-case scenario? We’ve freed up some cap space, we’ll go pick up someone from another club.
"I feel sorry for list managers. They’ve got such a small window and if they get it wrong, they’re paying for years for it.”
Daisy Pearce suggests the possibility of a win-win situation in a trade shouldn’t be frowned upon in the AFL.
“You may have to risk letting go of him and seeing him have an impact at another club, and accept that it’s a win-win for both,” she said.
If the Pies can swallow their pride - providing De Goey’s form hasn’t improved by the end of the season - and make the trade, it could help the club stockpile draft points for when it bids on father-son Nick Daicos in this year’s draft, likely at pick one.