JORDAN De Goey is preparing for a taste of life as a labourer, with the exiled Collingwood midfielder poised to start working on a building site in the coming days.
The 21-year-old, who has studied carpentry at the Trade Institute of Victoria, is understood to be keen to start the employment component of his drink driving sanction as soon as possible.
He was at the Holden Centre on Tuesday for Collingwood's team photo, after taking part in his first VFL training session on Monday night.
He left the club with teammates shortly before 4pm, but refused to speak on his way out.
Having agreed to get a job outside of football for at least four weeks, De Goey is wanting to get things moving, possibly as early as Wednesday morning.
His choice of employment is no surprise, given his qualification, plus his declaration in an article he penned for the AFLPA last year that said he "was never going to be one to sit in an office all day".
The No.5 draft pick from 2014 has agreed to a long list of conditions in order for the final year of his playing contract to be upheld, which include being removed from the senior team until he can convince his peers and coaches his "standards have risen".
De Goey suspended indefinitely, banished to VFL
He has also agreed to take on a "meaningful role" with a charitable organisation, believed to be the Salvation Army.
The Magpies have an existing relationship with the Salvos through their club chaplain, Major Brendan Nottle, and many players - including De Goey - have previously volunteered for the charity.
Jordan De Goey checks out Darcy Moore's new 'do' at the photo shoot. Picture: AFL Photos
It is understood De Goey will work with the Salvos on weekends, with the time of his shifts dependent on the schedule of VFL practice matches, for which he is eligible to play in.
He will also take part in the VFL squad's three evening training sessions each week after working during the day. He is also understood to be available for Thursday night's intraclub.
De Goey snuck into the club away from waiting cameras on Tuesday morning, but he was included in Pies' 2018 team photo.
Fremantle excluded troubled midfielder Harley Bennell from the club's photo day last month, using an empty chair in the group shot so they could digitally add the banished Docker later on.
The Magpies began arriving at the club from 9.30am onwards for the photo day, after they were put through their paces in an intense two-hour training session on Monday morning.
De Goey has also been fined $10,000 and will donate a further $10,000 to charity.
And, he has agreed to forego alcohol until the end of the season, make "significant changes" to his social life and associations, and seek help from medical professionals to aid in better decision making.
Magpie youngster caught drink driving
Captain Scott Pendlebury, who spoke to De Goey on Saturday night after his failed breath test, described his younger teammate's poor decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol as an issue "bigger than thinking he might miss an AFL game".
The P-plater blew 0.095 in a random breath test in Port Melbourne on Saturday night, after an alleged day of drinking on the Surf Coast.
"Footy's not the issue here, I think footy he does really well," Pendlebury said outside the Holden Centre on Monday.
"It's outside of footy and getting that balance right. We clearly know what he can do on a footy field but off it is where he needs to improve and now we support him to get better in that regard.
"I spoke to him on Saturday night and he was shattered like anyone when they've offended with drink driving. He was shattered that he not only hurt the footy club but something serious could have happened.
"It's just bigger than thinking that he might miss an AFL game, he might have seriously hurt someone."
It is known De Goey has frustrated his teammates in the past, particularly when he lied to the club almost 12 months ago about how he sustained a broken hand.
He was fined $5000 and suspended for three weeks when he came clean about injuring himself in a bar fight and not playing with his dog, as he initially claimed.
While his pre-season has been limited after a hip setback in December, veteran teammate Tyson Goldsack admitted last month De Goey was "definitely not as fit as he could be".
However, he then backed his teammate to be "ready to go" for the season opener on March 24, as he was "learning himself how fit he can be".
De Goey's availability for the Pies' round one clash with Hawthorn will also be dependent on whether he has proved to his teammates that he's made significant changes to his off-field life.
Jordan De Goey next to teammate Chris Mayne on Tuesday. Picture: AFL Photos
