Jordan De Goey put a turbulent summer behind him to help Collingwood start her new era under Craig McRae in a positive way with a 17-point victory over St Kilda in the AFL opening round.
Goey, who was arrested in New York for a nightclub incident in the off-season and was repulsed for a time by the Magpies, received muffled cheers from the stands when he went to the ball on Friday night.
But the explosive star let his football speak for itself, recording 27 throws and five saves, as well as two important goals in the second half.
It was a decisive contribution in the Magpies ’15 .12 (102) to 12.13 (85) victory at Marvel Stadium in McRae’s first game in charge.
Goey (four) and Taylor Adams (eight) were central to Collingwood center-right dominance (18-9).
“(De Goey) is an elite talent and we want him to play his part and bring what he does,” McRae said.
“He plays really well on his strengths and he’s a class finisher.
“You get the ball in hand and he has great skills and good things come out of it, but I always say he’s just one player on our team.”
Collingwood took a 35-point lead in the third quarter as mature age debutant Jack Hayes helped inspire a St Kilda fightback.
The Saints hit the front early in the final quarter as Jade Gresham marked his return from a lengthy injury stoppage with a goal behind a pack – the first of his two for the term.
But the Magpies stabilized and took a breather as De Goey started his second major in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Young team-mate Oliver Henry scored two important goals in the last term.
“We were thrilled into the rooms,” McRae said.
“We reflected the dynamic fluctuations of the early players and were able to capitalize on when you had the momentum and clearly tonight was an example of that.
“We just love our fight and our spirit. We try to form a new DNA and when our fans come and watch us play, we want to show them that we have a bit of a fight in us.”
Father-son draft pick Nick Daicos (27 dismissed) showed his talent on the debut and fellow Collingwood new son Patrick Lipinski (30) also appeared while Jeremy Howe returned to his high-flying best in defense for a series to repel from opposition raids. .
Mason Cox was left with painful ribs after an off-the-ball bump by Dougal Howard and a heavy wood bump left Adams groggy in a bruising contest.
Darcy Moore spent time off the floor with a neck problem.
Former SANFL star Hayes has scored three goals and taken four contested marks for St Kilda on his debut.
Tim Membrey also scored three goals for the Saints, with captain Jack Steele (28 dispositions) and Brad Crouch (27) employed in midfield, while Gresham (24) impressed in his first game since round three last year. has.
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