MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 18: Dane Swan of the Magpies (R) and Jordan De Goey of the Magpies (C) compete for the ball during the Collingwood Magpies AFL Intra-club match at Olympic Park on February 18, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
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.
“That was pretty much the message Swanny got, that was going back to the early 2000’s. They had pretty much run out of patience with Swanny at that stage,” he said.
“He 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.
“Once 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.”
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.
“What he did was get in the footy crew, but he never lost that friendship. He stayed good mates with those guys, he’s overseas with one of those guys now,” Pickering said.
“They’re 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.
“He wasn’t going to be told that he couldn’t see, one was his cousin and one was his great mate.”
Essendon legend Tim Watson added De Goey had some serious decisions to be made in the near future.
“Maybe you do. Maybe you do have to cut them out of your life all together,” he said.
“You can actually have lunch with them, but then if you’re going to make them your mates after that, that’s when you’re finding yourself in trouble.”