Collingwood CEO Mark Anderson has hit back at speculation suggesting the club is trying to force Brodie Grundy out, saying if the big man leaves it’ll be on his terms.
Despite being signed through to the end of the 2027 season on $1 million a year, Grundy is reportedly available to rivals if a suitable trade can be agreed upon this summer.
Anderson refuted suggestions that Grundy would need to be offloaded to ease salary cap tension, saying it is “under control” and “not in the position it was” two years ago when the club was forced into a fire sale which saw Adam Treloar forced out.
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“I understand that there’s going to be a lot of speculation around … but it’s not our job to respond to speculation,” he told 3AW’s Sportsday.
“Brodie is coming back after 15 weeks and being out 15 weeks all of our focus is on him coming back.
“He’s got a contract and has committed to that. Clearly, anything that is changed would be his decision, and we’ll have all of those conversations at the back end of the year in terms of what our list looks like and what our needs are.”
Despite the club reeling off a nine-match winning streak in his absence and the strong form of his understudy Darcy Cameron, Anderson suggested the two-time All-Australian Grundy was still necessary to the Magpies’ success.
“We are a better team with Brodie in it, there is no doubt about that, and we are looking forward to getting him back,” he said.
“If I recall back, his last match before injury he pretty well got us across the line on Anzac Day. In that last quarter he was incredible and he was doing that playing injured as well, I remember that with a lot of detail. Just rapt to get him back and we know he’ll make us better.”
Grundy isn’t the only big name at the Magpies to be linked with an exit this summer, with Jordan De Goey‘s name also thrown up in potential trade scenarios.
De Goey’s situation is different to Grundy’s, with the 25-year-old out of contract and set to hit restricted free agency this summer.
Collingwood pulled a reported four-year deal worth up to $3.2 million from De Goey following his controversial mid-season trip to Bali.
https://omny.fm/shows/3aw-sportsday/collingwood-chief-addresses-the-futures-of-brodie/embed
Anderson refused to say whether De Goey would remain at the club beyond this season.
“We were really clear with Jordy at the time that we’d leave those conversations until the end of the year, and we will,” he said.
“What I will say is he is doing everything right, he’s prepared right, and we’re looking forward to getting him back in the team.”
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