Collingwood premiership defender Jeremy Howe has stated that he doesn’t see any issue “at all” with the high-fiving incident that sparked criticism from pundits after the Magpies’ defeat to Sydney last Friday night.
During the Round 1 match, footage showed midfielder Jordan De Goey and defender Brayden Maynard exchanging a high-five during play as Sydney moved the ball into Collingwood’s defensive area.
The incident received strong criticism from four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis after the game, who described it as “lazy” and suggested that the duo was not actively participating in the game.
During an episode of AFL 360 on Tuesday evening on Fox Footy, Mark Robinson brought up the topic with Jeremy Howe.
Robinson commented, “There’s been a high-fiving. There’s a passage, (the Swans) went through you, they just went straight down the ground. Bang, bang, bang, (the ball) goes out wide and look at this … What is that?” as the footage highlighted De Goey and Maynard’s high-five.
“I know clubs (and) players do it all the time, but in play like that? Is that two players switched on, or is that two players being big-heads?” Robinson questioned.
Howe responded with a scoff, “Nah.”
He explained, “If you draw that conclusion, I think you can draw any conclusion by looking at a bit of footage like that.”
Howe offered alternative interpretations, suggesting, “He might’ve been saying ‘come on mate, let’s keep on going, I need you to get back here’. Or it’s like, you have touchpoints on field — there’s ways that we communicate with one another, there’s obviously ways that we work with each other to make sure we stay engaged in the game.”
Howe reiterated his perspective that his premiership-winning teammates were not displaying arrogance.
“I would say that’s clearly one of those moments, and again, without understanding the context and speaking to either of those boys, the idea of being big-headed… I don’t think the high-five has a negative meaning,” he stated.
“We want to be focused on winning the game no matter what. If the high-five helps both of those boys stay in the right mindset to keep competing, then I don’t see any issue with it at all.
“For us, every time we concede a goal, whether it’s in front of the ball or behind it, we come together, give each other high-fives, and support each other, regardless of the situation. The key is to be prepared for the next play — maybe that high-five was just a brief moment in the game.”
The winless reigning premiers will take on St Kilda at the MCG this Thursday night, a match that now comes with heightened pressure. However, Jeremy Howe insists that nothing has changed in terms of the approach at Collingwood’s headquarters this week.
“Every game is important, but when you don’t start the way you want to, yeah, there’s definitely more of a challenge,” Howe remarked.
“Our training and preparation remain consistent. We believe we’re training effectively and are well-informed about what we need to do, but we acknowledge that our consistency has been lacking.”
