EXILED Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey will learn to put the club ahead of himself and stop taking his AFL career for granted as he deals with life in the workplace, teammate Adam Treloar says.
De Goey has been indefinitely banned from the AFL side and must train with the VFL Magpies at nights after working during the day as a landscaper, as part of his punishment for being caught drink driving.
Treloar expects De Goey, who has also agreed to abstain from alcohol until the end of the season, to come out of the ordeal a better person
"We want, not only great players at our footy club, but we want great people who put the footy club first," Treloar said at the Holden Centre on Tuesday.
"I think there's a few lessons Jordy can learn from that but in saying that, the footy club and us players, we're well and truly behind him. We know he's going to come out the better end of it."
This incident is not the first time De Goey has been in trouble. Last March, he was suspended for three games after lying to the club about a broken right hand, saying he suffered it while playing with his pet dog rather than admitting it happened in a bar fight.
Treloar has spoken to the 21-year-old a couple of times recently and believes De Goey will be more mentally prepared for the demands of elite football after having spent time in a gruelling nine-to-five job.
"It's a bit different for him because it's much more taxing. You can really see how lucky we are as athletes and footy players that we don't have to do that," Treloar said.
"We get a lot of down time. We get to keep fit and train and I think him missing it now, he realises that he takes it a bit for granted and I can't really talk on behalf of him, because I haven't really spoken to him about it, but I know that he'd be missing playing and being here and I know once it's done, he'll come back with a much better attitude and he'll be benefited for it."
De Goey was drafted with the fifth overall selection in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft and has played 50 games.
Meanwhile, Treloar allayed any fears of a potential injury after he was spotted having scans on Monday.
"Everything's all good. It was a maintenance check. I've had a history of injuries that I make sure I'm looking after," Treloar said.
"With about three or four weeks before the season, you want to make sure you're in fine nick.
"We'll see how we go today and see what happens this week. Don't know whether I'm playing or not but I'll find out. If I do, I'm looking forward to it."
He has had issues with his hips and groins in the past, going back to his days at Greater Western Sydney.
Treloar spoke at Collingwood headquarters with Harlem Globetrotters Corey 'Thunder' Law and Scott 'Scooter' Christensen on hand, as the pair were presented Magpies jumpers.
