Once the news broke that Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey had been caught drink driving after a night out in the city, Magpie fans had already been dealt a disappointing blow before their season had even begun.
The young Magpie midfielder was caught two times over the legal limit at a blood-alcohol level of 0.095 in Port Melbourne and was soon after suspended by the club indefinitely after succumbing to his second strike.
De Goey, who has played 50 games for Collingwood, was drafted in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft with pick No. 5 after showing loads of promise in his junior days at the Oakleigh Chargers and for his high-school, St Kevin’s.
The Pies' fans knew they had themselves a good one.
A tough, tenacious, half-forward with an eye for goal, an ability to get his hands on the footy and hit a target with ease, De Goey was looking like a real hit after only a few pre-season games.
On draft day, the young, naïve eighteen-year-old promised Collingwood coach, Nathan Buckley, he would “never let him down”.
But only two years later, this promise was shattered like a piece of glass falling from a five-storey balcony.
The youngster was suspended for three games for lying to the club when he claimed a broken hand suffered in a bar fight in St Kilda was caused while playing with his dog in the pre-season of 2017.
He was suspended for three games, fined $5000 dollars and forced to undergo ten weeks of community service.
You are starting to see a picture here, aren’t you?
Jordan De Goey simply did not learn from his previous mistakes, hence why his current punishment is so lengthy, brutal and even some people’s eyes, harsh.
I spoke on The Rushed Behind about the De Goey debacle. and said quite frankly, this man (and I say man carefully) is not a boy anymore.
He is a role model - a player kids of all ages look up to, and a prodigy who is adored by the Magpie faithful, week in, week out.
Many see him as a big part of the Magpies’ future; some see him as potentially a future star of the competition.
All the signs have been there in his first 50 games without doubt.
A breakout game against West Coast last season where he kicked four goals – two of them being late in the final quarter – and performed an inspiring run-down tackle which set up a Jamie Elliott goal to seal a late fightback from the Magpies, was just a glimpse of his prowess.
Unsurprisingly, he polled three Brownlow votes - his potential on full display.
Even after such a promising and strong end to 2017, the new season was looking to be his year.
Michael Christian had touted him as the player he believed would take his game to another level and the belief among the Magpie faithful was that “JDG” would be a prominent figure in an already star-studded midfield.
Once again, De Goey let the fans and his team down.
At a time of the season where the squad are ramping up preparations for round one and the upcoming JLT Community Series games, along with a quarter of the side already starting to play in the recent AFLX competition, De Goey went and did exactly what was not required.
In arguably another season where Collingwood enter with their backs up and against the wall, his trust from his peers, the board, the coaching staff and more importantly, the fans has been absolutely crushed.
His future, is now up in the air.
He has one season left on his contract, and he is one more episode away from it being terminated.
It may be De Goey who ends up being used to lure Gold Coast star Tom Lynch to Magpieland.
He may still be young and he may still be growing, but players should know better.
Not just players, but we as humans should know the consequences of getting behind the wheel after having some drinks.
The potential endangerment of not just himself, but those around him could have had dire consequences.
The term "life and death" is thrown around a lot, but when it comes to drink driving, the effects it has on the broader community is significant.
There are simply no excuses, and especially at a club which has had a long-suffering history in which their own players have gotten behind the wheel upon being intoxicated.
Heath Shaw, Rhyce Shaw, Alan Didak, Dane Swan, Ben Johnson and Chris Tarrant have all been tarnished by the effects of alcohol in one way or another at some stage in their career and have faced the heavy consequences.
But none no-more than the late Darren Milane, who a year after winning the premiership in 1990, was killed in a road accident after heavy intoxication.
In the instance with De Goey, it can only be dealt with such extremity.
It is simple.
I hear all the time De Goey is young and he needs to have his fun.
But when you are a professional athlete, sacrifice must come first.
You have to sacrifice those nights out where you have a few beers, but this is not to do with a lack of cognitive function or experience.
It comes with a lack of self-awareness and planning from before-hand.
It is even more simple.
If you are drinking, do not get behind the wheel.
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