FIRST-YEAR Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey met with Collingwood coaches Nathan Buckley and Scott Burns in the days before Friday night's clash against Geelong and was handed the job he'd been waiting for.
An inside player who loves the contest, De Goey was told to take the reins from Scott Pendlebury against the Cats, allowing the skipper to sit off the back of stoppages in a 'quarterback' role.
It was an opportunity the 19-year-old didn't want to waste, winning 17 of his 25 possessions against the Cats in the contest and finishing with 10 clearances in the best game of his debut season.
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"I made sure I went out with a good mindset with my contested ball and focused on my spread, which is something I need to improve," De Goey told AFL.com.au.
"It's a fantastic opportunity in the midfield. Not many first-year players get to do it, so I wanted to make the most of it.
"They put good trust in me and it's not an easy job being in the midfield.
Overall, I was pretty happy."
De Goey's previous season-highs – which were all eclipsed on Friday night – were 18 possessions, seven clearances and 11 contested possessions.
He has spent the majority of the season "drifting forward, playing that five or six role and hitting into the contest", he said, gradually building his midfield capabilities.
With De Goey stepping up on Friday night, Buckley was able to use Pendlebury (33 possessions) as an architect behind the ball.
"He's been one of the premier midfielders in the game, and Jordan De Goey took that role tonight and he's only played a dozen games of footy," the coach said.
"Could we have done it in his second, third and fourth (game)? Possibly not.
"That may not have happened in these last couple of weeks if we had finals on the line … but we'll continue to look for ways that we can add to our game and add to our development and be a harder team to counter."
