- Magpies grand final hero almost broke down after game
- Kicked two goals in thrilling four-point win over Brisbane
- Called premiership victory the ‘greatest moment’ of his life
By Shayne Bugden For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 00:35 BST, 1 October 2023 | Updated: 00:35 BST, 1 October 2023
Collingwood grand final hero Jordan De Goey has dedicated his premiership medal to his grandmother Elisabeth as he revealed the incredible win over Brisbane will be the last game she gets to see.
The electric midfielder kicked two goals as the Pies snared a record-equalling 16th premiership and was caught up in emotional scenes in the dressing rooms afterwards.
De Goey was captured on video placing his premiership medal around his grandmother’s neck after asking her, ‘Do you want it?’, then calling for someone to take a photo as a beaming Elisabeth bit into the metal like she was testing whether it was genuine.
De Goey was caught up in emotional scenes in the dressing rooms after the game as he presented his premiership medal to his terminally ill grandmother Elisabeth (pictured)
‘Unfortunately, she has terminal cancer, so this will be the last game for her,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘That means the world to me to have her here.
‘My grandfather was super influential in my career and unfortunately he passed away. So to be able to see [my grandmother] in the rooms is so special.
‘This is a special moment for my family.’
He also described the victory as ‘the best moment of my life, for sure’.
‘I have put in so much work to get here and so has everyone else on the team. We’ve all had our setbacks.’
The victory will be especially sweet for De Goey after the way he turned his career around after running into trouble off the field over the past two years.
The grand final hero described the four-point win as ‘the best moment of my life’
He ended up in a New York jail in October 2021 after an incident in a nightclub, then apologised for his behaviour after being caught in a controversial video taken in a Bali club in June last year.
The latter incident led former Magpies president Eddie McGuire to say he was on ‘parole’ at the club.
However, he signed a five-year extension with Collingwood last September after knocking back a big offer from St Kilda.
‘Obviously it’s a bit of a stressful period of time but, at the bottom of my heart, I always wanted to stay at the Pies,’ he said at the time.
‘They have just created this family culture and I’m really thriving in that, as a lot of the other boys are, too.’
The premiership win came after De Goey emerged from a very controversial 18 months that saw him involved in two off-field incidents
The 27-year-old kicked two crucial long-range goal to help the Pies to their 16th flag
De Goey provided one of the most crucial moments in Collingwood’s win on Saturday when he marked and kicked a goal after the quarter-time siren.
His shot never looked like missing despite coming from outside the 50-metre arc and the crowd went berserk as he gave the Pies a 10-point lead at the first break.
De Goey’s second major came as he ran onto an incredible Nick Daicos handball with just over five minutes left in the last quarter and his team trailing by two.
He launched the ball from almost right on the 50-metre line and hit the bullseye once again, adding another game-turning moment to a top-shelf effort that also saw him pick up 18 disposals and make four tackles.
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The heartbreaking reason Collingwood star Jordan De Goey dedicated his premiership medal to his grandmother in emotional scenes after AFL grand final win
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