Collingwood to fight for finals without star De Goey

Collingwood star Jordan De Goey’s season appears over after suffering a high-grade hamstring injury in the Magpies’ heart-stopping three-point win against Carlton.

The Magpies kept their premiership alive in the most dramatic fashion, surviving a final-quarter onslaught from the Blues, then having to rely on Carlton defender Mitch McGovern missing a shot after-the-siren.

But De Goey, who has been battling groin soreness for weeks, was subbed off in the third quarter after he hobbled from the field.

“A hamstring, high-grade,” Collingwood coach Craig McRae said.

“I would have thought that’s going to be difficult for him to play in the short-to-medium term.

“I’ve just been told it’s high grade and obviously it’s not great for him.”

The De Goey soured an unforgettable night for Collingwood, who celebrated Scott Pendlebury’s 400th game with a trademark thrilling finish.

The Magpies led by 32 points early in the final term, but conceded the last five goals and allowed McGovern the chance to pinch a famous win for Carlton.

“We’re building,” McRae said.

“This is the time of year you want to get hot.

“We’re not quite hot, but we’re simmering and there’s definitely some momentum coming.

“We’ve got the personnel back in that strengthen us up.

“For most of the game it looked like a Collingwood game.

“We’ve been building this for weeks.”

With three games to go, Collingwood sit 10th and only one game outside the top eight ahead of a match with fading ladder-leaders Sydney at the SCG next Friday night.

Pendlebury became just the sixth VFL/AFL player to reach 400 games, but the 36-year-old showed no signs of slowing down after being arguably the Magpies’ best player in his milestone game, with 27 possessions and nine clearances.

“He’s an incredible player,” McRae said.

“Some of the stuff he did late, some of the stuff he did when we needed him.

“He’s probably going to get sick from saying this, but I don’t want to wait until I’m older and gray to appreciate him.

“We’ll share a beer at some stage and maybe a red wine.”