Collingwood forward Brody Mihocek is weighing up a serious offer from Melbourne.
The reliable goalkicker has held off contract talks while he chases a second premiership in three years with the Magpies, but there’s also another reason at play for the hesitation to sign.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Melbourne chases Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek.
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“(Mihocek) has a big decision to make at the end of the season,” Mitch Cleary said on The Agenda Setters.
“We heard (incoming coach) Stephen King of the Melbourne footy club earlier talking about experience and wanting to keep experience on the list.
“The Demons have come for Brody Mihocek in a big way.
“So the Pies feel they’ve had a really strong offer to Mihocek on the table for some time. He’s parked that till the end of the season.
“He turns 33 in February. I believe he’s weighing up a really strong proposal to join the Melbourne footy club.
“They had a go at Daniher at the start of the year. Clearly that won’t be happening.
“But Melbourne is in the market for an experienced key forward and they’ve identified this man, Brody Mihocek.”
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Mihocek has kicked 267 goals in 158 games for Collingwood since being drafted as a mature-age recruit in the 2018 rookie draft.
Craig Hutchison said he’s been perennially underrated.
“He’s never been paid (enough), really,” he said.
“And he’s always been justifying his next contract, and if there’s a good deal there, you couldn’t begrudge him taking it.”
Appointed as Simon Goodwin’s replacement, King currently has his hands full as a Geelong assistant coach as they prepare to play Hawthorn in a preliminary final on Friday night.
But King said he’d done plenty of research on the Melbourne list before applying for the job and wanted Christian Petracca — who is again considering a trade request — and fellow star midfielder Clayton Oliver to remain with the club.
Twelve months ago Petracca’s plea to leave the Demons was denied while Oliver was almost traded to Geelong.
King said he’d reached out to Petracca but intended meeting in person with the 29-year-old, who is contracted until the end of 2029, as well as the other Demons players as soon as he could.
“They’re both superstars of the competition for what they’ve done so to get the opportunity to work with those guys and get them back to playing their best footy would be something that I’d pride myself on as a coach,” said King, who beat the likes of ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley to the position.
“I want to try and keep those experienced players here for as long as possible because premiership players don’t grow on trees and to have them on your side while you’re bringing in the youth of tomorrow and today, that’s going to be a really important part of the way I want our team to play.”
He believed that the Demons, who last won the flag in 2021, could contend as soon as next season.
“I feel like every club should be aiming to play finals and we’re no different,” King said.
“To lose six games by under 10 points, if bits and pieces go your way, things can change really quickly so yeah, we’ll be chasing to be a contender in September again.”
King captained Geelong and played in the 2007 premiership before a 15-year coaching career that has seen him take on assistant roles at St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and most recently the Cats.
The father of four said he wanted to empower the Demons players and give them “freedom” in attack.
“I just want them to probably play with a bit more freedom with ball in hand. I think we need to challenge teams in attack a little bit more,” he said.
“I feel really privileged that I walk into a club that has a terrific foundation with the way they compete at the contest, their stoppage structure and the way they defend.
“I just want to probably give players a bit more ownership to play with freedom, take what the game gives them and really get after it.”
King said he had the blessing of his two employers to see out Geelong’s premiership push and would be back on duty at the Cats on Tuesday.
“It really means a lot to me. I personally wouldn’t have felt right for me just to abort that now and jump straight in,” he said.
“I’m glad the two clubs that respect each other could make that decision.”
- With AAP
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