JORDAN De Goey’s D-Day is fast approaching.

Collingwood’s leadership group will meet next week to decide whether the talented midfielder should return to the senior group or continue training with the VFL team.

The 21-year-old is two-and-a-half weeks into his four-week suspension for drink-driving and has not put a foot wrong while banished from his Magpie teammates.

Waking up to a 6am alarm, working as a tradie, seeing a psychologist and delivering food to homeless people for more than six hours every Saturday night is just a snapshot of his rehabilitation.

Round 18

He’s also continued his strong pre-season on the track and in the gym, only alongside semi-professional teammates in the evenings rather than elite footballers during the day.

Foxfooty.com.au understands Collingwood’s leadership group of Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe and Taylor Adams will have a significant influence on De Goey’s return date, with Round 1 selection still not out of the equation.

Coach Nathan Buckley will also play an important role, as will football boss Geoff Walsh and other senior figures at the club.

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Jordan De Goey has been training with Collingwood’s VFL team. Picture: Tony Gough Source: News Corp Australia

Precisely a week after De Goey’s four-week suspension concludes, Collingwood takes on Hawthorn in a Round 1 blockbuster at the MCG.

The club has maintained a consistent stance since De Goey was suspended for driving under an illegal influence of alcohol in mid-February.

Its statement that the 50-gamer will be suspended “indefinitely” has not wavered and to this end it has essentially been up to the player to reform and earn the trust back of his teammates and the club.

Only the club’s leaders know whether he has showed enough remorse to be welcomed back into the senior fold in the week leading up to Round 1, but to this point he has done everything asked of him.

Assistant coach Brenton Sanderson made no secret of the coaching panel’s desire to reintegrate De Goey back into the senior team as soon as he’s ready.

“We saw tonight how important he is to us,” Sanderson told reporters after De Goey lit up the intra-club recently.

“We’d love to have him in our best 22.”

Jordan De Goey was prominent in Collingwood’s intra-club clash. Source: AAP

The challenge is maintaining the work ethic beyond the club’s suspension. Conditioning and De Goey’s readiness to play are not in question, although his workrate was as recent as 12 months ago.

Since then, he has turned the corner and those close to him at Collingwood have seen a marked improvement in his desire to succeed at the top level. Out of contract at the end of 2018, there will be no shortage of suiters should he delay re-signing.

What he is worth by way of trade is hugely dependant on what transpires over the next five months. Even a so-so season in the seniors could still see Collingwood fetch a first-round selection for him, while a standout campaign could fatten the cow further.

Then again, a significant lift could prompt the Magpies to offer a new deal, which the De Goey camp would have to weigh up against his market value and desire to remain at the Holden Centre.

Collingwood’s VFL team has four practice matches before its first home and away game of the season against the Northern Blues on April 7, including one on Thursday evening against Richmond at Punt Road Oval.

Whatever the club’s leaders decide, De Goey will play football on Saturday March 24.

All that’s left is whether it will be at the Holden Centre against the Box Hill Hawks or in front of a packed house at the MCG later that evening.

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