Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has rubbished suggestions made by David King on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Wednesday night, as King believed the Magpies shouldย end the club-imposed suspension for Jordan De Goey and bring him in for ANZAC Day.
The 21-year-old put in a brilliant performance for Collingwood's VFL side on the weekend, kicking three goals and collecting 26 disposals to lead his side to a two-point win over Coburg.
Chatting on Triple M's The Hot Breakfast on Thursday morning, McGuire and co-host Luke Darcy spoke about King's comments, but McGuire was quick to shut down the possibility of a return for De Goey.
"Itโs an interesting question - if you let them off early does that undermine the whole culture of the club going forward?" askedย Darcy.
"Do you reckon that was the decision that was made at the West Coast Eagles 10 years ago? 'No, no, theyโre playing well. Weโve got a Grand Final to win. Just do it'," replied McGuire.
"Do you reckon weโd like to re-visit how we were handling things at the West Coast Eagles in those days?"
"David King - heโs a great bloke, a great colleague and a great friend of mine. He played in a different era in a team where it didnโt matter what you did on the weekend; as long as you got a kick."
"It didnโt end that well either."
"So I understand exactly what theyโre saying. No oneโs under more pressure than me or Nathan Buckley to try and get a win at Collingwood."
"I was down there all day yesterday - I wonโt sleep for another 2 days after all the coffees Iโve had (at football meetings)."
"But you know what, one thing you donโt give up is your principles."
McGuire alsoย backed the three-week ban for De Goey, given that it was the leadership group who handed down the punishment.
"Thatโs their rules," he said.
"If you give the players the line to set the standards and then you wobble because itโs convenientโฆ well that flies in the face in a lot of the hard line of football."
"It doesnโt have to be a conversation. A decision was made and thatโs it. If you do that - what do you stand for? Does any agreement matter - does anything matter?"