IN A LENGTHY interview published in Alpha magazine, Collingwood’s star midfielder Dale Thomas said he had not decided on whether he would remain a Magpie next season, or take the money and run to Greater Western Sydney.
Thomas has the profile that would sit well with GWS’s marketing plan - he’s the most popular Collingwood player by a long way, a point he understands.
''I’m a Collingwood footballer, I love being a Collingwood footballer, I’m happy to be there and hopefully it stays that way,'' he told the magazine.
He said that with contracts on offer that added several multiples to a player’s current deal, it was an issue that would stretch loyalty.
''With the dollars that get thrown around, it will be difficult for clubs to match it. In some regards it is almost unfair, because at the end of the day we do make good money but it’s not the money you talk about in the Premier League or IPL.”
He recognised that he would be the focus of discussion until a new deal with Collingwood had been done. ''Until you sign that dotted line, I know there is going to be speculation.''
Speculation is a word that will swirl around Collingwood throughout 2011, as the world - and Malthouse himself - wonders what 2012 will mean for coach Mick Malthouse.
The coach will hand over the job of senior coach to Nathan Buckley on November 1, and he told The Footy Show on Thursday that he was unsure what his new job would mean - for him and the club.
Thomas told Alpha he did not know what to expect, but hoped that Malthouse - who "fathered" him through his first few seasons, would stay with the club.
"To speculate would be wrong of me," he said. "I just think we wait and see and hopefully, fingers crossed, Mick can walk away as a two-time premiership of Collingwood.
''I’d certainly have him there with Bucks if it was my call.
"Mick’s an unbelievable person. He has been there for so many people, and I know he has put his neck out for me time and time again."
Daniel Kerr returns
Perth’s Sunday Times reported that West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr made it safely through his return to football in a pre-season WAFL match between East Fremantle and Claremont.
Kerr had limited game time in his first match since he tore his hamstring in last season's round-four match against Essendon at Subiaco, but managed to gather 20 possessions.
Coach John Worsfold told the paper he was pleased that Kerr had made it through. He said that the club would continue to take a conservative path with the midfielder, and that no decision had been made as to when he would be ready for senior football.
Generously, the paper also included a video and photo gallery of Kerr’s return, highlighting an apparent skirmish with Claremont’s Luke Blackwell. No action was taken, but comments were requested from the jury of public opinion.
The views expressed in this article at those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
