Jamie Elliott opens up on stormy week, says Pies are ‘building something’ ahead of contract call

Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott has echoed coach Craig McRae’s sentiment that the team prepared as well as it possible could’ve for Sunday’s win over GWS amid a turbulent week.

The Magpies held off a fast finishing Giants side at the MCG on Sunday to prevail by 11 points and claim their fifth-consecutive win while climbing back into the top eight.

It comes after Collingwood faced intense scrutiny throughout the week in the fallout from Jordan De Goey’s Bali incident that saw the star midfielder/forward take a leave of absence for personal reasons after being handed a $25,000 suspended fine and have his contract talks put on hold.

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Magpies coach Craig McRae conceded after the win over the Giants “your attention gets pulled away what you need to do” amid the off-field distractions.

But speaking to foxfooty.com.au in the Collingwood rooms post-match, Elliott, who booted an equal team-high two goals in the win, said the club stayed committed to the task at hand.

“All we can do is play and train, we wanted to prepare as best we could. We spoke about leading into this game that this was one of the best preparations we’ve had with the amount of external noise going on right now,” he said.

“We try not to worry about that, put that behind us and if we think about that leading into a game it’s going to affect our performance. I feel like we prepared really well it and showed tonight.”

Elliott booted an equal team-high two goals against the Giants (Photo by Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia

The Magpies’ performance against GWS was far from perfect including an inaccurate 11.22 kicking performance in front of goal.

But the win makes finals a genuine possibility for Collingwood in 2022 — despite McRae reaffirming post-match that he’s not yet thinking about the post-season — sitting seventh on the ladder with a 9-5 record and one of the friendlier runs home.

And Elliott was bullish about the club’s direction as a whole.

“We’re building something here, that’s what it feels like. When you see our band of footy you know what to expect,” he said.

“Overall it’s exciting, it’s exciting times ahead. As long as we keep playing the way we want to play. We’ve got a good mix of old guys and youth that bring a lot of energy. It’s a fun club to be at.”

Collingwood Magpies press conference | 08:10

It comes after the Herald Sun reported that free agent Elliott is “progressing” in contract talks with Collingwood amid rival interest.

The 29-year old has been a key contributor for McRae’s side this season, splitting his time between midfield and forward.

And despite missing five games earlier this year with an AC joint injury, Elliott has avoided any soft-tissue setbacks that have hampered him throughout stages of his career.

“I actually feel like it’s the best I’ve felt for a long time — and I felt like that the last two years,” the 144-gamer said.

“I’ve knuckled down on my preparation and recovery and I know exactly what that looks like leading into games and off games.

“Getting older I’m just trying to make the younger guys better and make them feel comfortable and be able to perform. As I’m getting older the role kind of changes and evolves, but overall I feel like I’ve got a good mix at the moment.”