COLLINGWOOD needs to set Jordan De Goey up to fire throughout the 2025 season and not rush the injured midfielder for the sake of having him in Opening Round, says veteran Scott Pendlebury.
De Goey has enjoyed an impressive pre-season after heading to Doha for a training program in his off-season to rid himself of a debilitating groin issue that ruined his 2024.
“He’s tracking well. He’s obviously got a bit of a knock to the leg,” Pendlebury said on Friday.
“So yeah, you don’t want to take too many risks with him this time of year.
“So I think he’s either run today or he’s running on Monday, I’m pretty sure. So yeah, he won’t be too far away.”
De Goey told RSN on Thursday he expected to be fully fit again within a couple of weeks.
But Collingwood, which kicks off its season away to Greater Western Sydney on March 9, appears unlikely to rush him.
Pendlebury was adamant Collingwood wouldn’t allow a similar situation to unfold.
“Last year … we got a lot of injuries sort of at the same time, so we’ve had a lot of guys with good continuity,” he said.
“And we want to give Jordan the same opportunity, not rush him to the line just because it’s round 0.
“If it takes a little bit longer, take our time with him and get him right, so when he’s back, he’s back for good.
“It was pretty brave last year to get out there with how his body was feeling like he could barely move throughout the weeks then he’d play on the weekend … something had to give in the end.
“But he looks like he’s in a better space at the moment with his body, and he was moving really well before he got that knock on his leg.”
