Jordan De Goey’s performance in Collingwood’s qualifying final win over Adelaide was no accident.
The 29-year-old had been through a carefully constructed reset, designed months in advance by coach Craig McRae and high-performance chief Jarrod Wade, and the timing could not have been sharper.
After soft-tissue setbacks restricted him to 13 appearances in 2024, and a pre-season spent rebuilding in Qatar, De Goey was still short of his trademark burst when the 2025 campaign began.
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By early May, Collingwood shifted focus: rather than chasing form during winter, the goal was to have him ready to explode in September.
A finals-first approach
That blueprint brought him through a rare VFL stint in July and into September with fresh legs.
Against the Crows, he was again the difference-maker, finishing with 26 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances, a goal and a hand in another – numbers that don’t quite capture his impact on a night Collingwood ended Adelaide’s nine-game winning run.
"I did lose a little bit of confidence midway through there. You just have to focus on your body, on your craft and keep pushing," De Goey told AFL.com.au after the 24-point victory. "We put the season away and just focused on finals… got my ankles, feet, Achilles right and hit the ground running later in the season. Got the job done tonight and starting to play some decent footy."
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For a player whose reputation has been built on rising to September’s intensity, the plan seems to have worked perfectly. De Goey’s timing could yet prove decisive in Collingwood’s tilt at back-to-back flags.