AFL greats have lined up to slam polarising Collingwood star Jordan De Goey after footage emerged of him partying in a Bali nightclub – but some of the game’s biggest names have believe he’s just a young man having fun.

The Magpies were criticised for allowing De Goey to travel to Indonesia during the mid-season break after the pre-season scandal in New York that saw him plead guilty to harassment following a nightclub scuffle. He was also fined $10,000 by the AFL.

Video of De Goey carving up a dance floor and mimicking a sexual act to the camera, as well as exposing a woman’s breast as she lay on the bar, further aggravated the criticism. 

AFL pundit Mark Robinson led the chorus against De Goey’s actions. 

‘Jordan De Goey might be the dumbest player of his generation. Other players have made mistakes, but this guy could represent Australia if we had the dumb games,’ he said in the Herald Sun. 

‘You’d think he would keep the cleanest of sheets in Bali, yet here we are – worse, here Collingwood is — having to decide whether De Goey’s behaviour is of a young man having fun, or a young man who has discredited himself and the club again.’

AFL pundit Mark Robinson has labelled De Goey ‘the dumbest player of his generation’

Former Collingwood skipper Tony Shaw also slammed De Goey, calling the star midfielder ‘stupid’ and demanding the club educate him on how his actions are perceived by the public.  

‘He’s probably not a smart person, I don’t think he’s a smart person … that’s twice now,’ he told 3AW. 

‘If I’m the footy club, I’d say do you understand what you’ve done? 

‘Even though you don’t know, because you’re probably stupid and you don’t understand that this has been seen in the light it has been in Melbourne and if he goes “I don’t think I did anything wrong”, you’ve got to start educating him again, you’ve got to keep going to the well to educate him about what you do with women, public life.’

Former AFL champion and current commentator Luke Hodge believes that it was a trust exercise from Collingwood to let De Goey travel to Bali in the middle of the season

Geelong champion Cam Mooney laid the blame squarely at the feet of Collingwood ‘idiots’ that allowed De Goey to travel to Bali mid-season in the first place.

‘I am staggered the club let him go,’ Mooney said on Fox Footy.

‘Whatever happens from here, Collingwood it’s on you.

‘It’s the stupidest decision I’ve ever seen a football club make.

‘Eight months ago he was in the US, we know what happened there. He’s come back, he’s playing good footy, the club is playing footy, and now they’ve allowed him to go over there.

‘Whether he was going to be stupid or not, just the fact that they let him get on that plane. You’ve made your bed Collingwood, you’re idiots.’

However, four-time premiership-winning Hawk Luke Hodge said De Goey had been extended an enormous amount of trust by coach Craig McRae to travel to Bali, especially considering his behaviour in New York.

‘When Craig McRae was made coach of Collingwood he said “we’re starting with a clean slate”, and I reckon it’s the coach’s call to say, “look, I’m trusting you, you go away you train you do the right thing and this is the trust I’m going to give you”,’ Hodge said on Channel 7’s Friday Night Countdown.

Former Richmond star Matthew Richardson agreed the decision to let De Goey travel to Bali had been a trust exercise, saying: ‘I think Craig McRae is trusting his player and that cannot be a bad thing.’

Video that emerged on social media showed De Goey having the time of his life in a Bali nightclub with a glamorous woman

Bombers legend Matthew Lloyd believes De Goey is old enough to know better.

‘He’s old enough you can’t tell him not to go, but it’s so silly that he wouldn’t just hang out with friends at a villa with no phones,’ Lloyd said.

‘There’s people everywhere filming you. He can’t be himself, he’s just a party boy.’

De Goey is off contract at the end of the current season and is seeking a new deal around $1million a season, something that could be impacted by his latest antics.

‘I think you always get a pretty good indication of someone’s professionalism and how much they care about their careers when you look at the choices they make,” St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt told Fox Sports. 

Riewoldt said that De Goey was guilty of choosing indulgence over discipline routinely

‘Every player is entitled to go overseas if they want in the break, but it’s a choice. I think in this case Jordan has chosen indulgence over discipline.

‘That’s something all clubs are going to look at … unfortunately it seems to be a pretty regular theme for him that he chooses indulgence over discipline from a football point of view.’

Channel 7 reporter Tom Browne said while De Goey had not done much wrong, the optics were bad considering he was looking for a big contract pay day.

‘Is it a good look? If you’re the director a rival club and thinking will we make him a long-term offer, you look at that (video) and you go ‘really’?

‘But look, that’s a separate argument, I reckon De Goey’s entitled to do it.’

De Goey is off contract and the latest scandal may impact his asking prices in negotiations

However, former Geelong star Jimmy Bartel said the situation might actually work in Collingwood’s favour because it could cause rival clubs to cool their interest in signing De Goey.

‘If you’re going to negotiate a contract, players that have issues off the field… there’s a tax when it comes to contract time.

‘We know in recent times Collingwood has had some list management squeezes, any money that you get off De Goey is a bonus in the long run.’

Collingwood has responded to the video of De Goey with a short statement that reads: ‘The Collingwood Football Club is aware of video footage involving player Jordan De Goey that was taken in Bali in recent days. The Club will comment further as soon as it is in a position to do so.’