Why Perryman chose Collingwood and why Noble wants out of the Pies

Harry Perryman’s manager Scott Lucas has outlined the reasons why his client opted to leave GWS.

Perryman, 25, completed his free agency move to Collingwood last Friday, signing a six-year contract with the Magpies after eight seasons and 129 games with the Giants.

The Giants wanted to keep Perryman while Port Adelaide showed plenty of interest, but the Pies won out and Lucas has explained why.

Lucas says the chance to play more midfield minutes at a massive club he supported as a kid were key factors in the decision.

“We worked with the Giants for a fair while on it, but weren’t able to reach an agreement,” Lucas said on AFL Trade Radio.

“Harry was fairly keen to stay, I would say, throughout the journey. With that in mind he opened up the opportunity to chat to other teams and from there a couple of clubs were really strong in their interest.

“There were always a few different reasons, it’s generally not one specific reason as to why a player chooses to leave.

“It certainly helps that he was a lifelong Collingwood supporter and part of it is that the size and scope of the club appealed.

“At the Giants he was certainly viewed as a half-back and with the depth of the midfield the chance to play through the middle of the ground was somewhat limited.

“I think there is an opportunity for him at Collingwood to run through the middle of the ground that little bit more. That also appealed to him.”

Lucas, from Phoenix Management Group, was asked if the money on offer from the Pies blew GWS out of the water.

It has been reported that Perryman’s deal is in the range of $800,000 to $900,000 per year.

“I wouldn’t say that, but it’s silly to sit here and say it’s not a consideration,” he added.

“When you’re negotiating through it all there is an aspect of that, of you how you value a player and perhaps how they value him.

“Deals that get done are when both parties are in agreement. We just couldn’t quite reach it (with GWS), we had a few goes throughout to get there and couldn’t quite get there in the end.

“For long parts of the journey, Harry’s preference was to stay, no doubt about it.”

On the flip side, John Noble is looking to leave Collingwood for the Gold Coast Suns.

Lucas says the disappointment of missing out on the 2023 premiership has been a factor of Noble’s requested exit along with the chance to bed down a regular spot elsewhere.

“You had a player who played 80 games in a row and was omitted for the finals,” Lucas said.

“Job security suddenly becomes less secure and therefore a level of anxiety exists in the player that perhaps I thought it was going really well and it’s not going as well. Then he wasn’t picked in the team in the early rounds this year.

“With that doubt certainly creeps in for a player who perhaps thought he was a little bit more secure in his environment. Players can become slightly unsettled and they’re looking for that security and a place where the opportunities might be more prevalent for them.”

When did Noble start to think about potentially moving on from the Maggies?

“It was far later in the season,” Lucas added.

“If you look at any player that is out of the team for a couple of weeks, doubts creep in.

“We talk about guys thinking about leaving, well, I've got guys now that don't have a contract that played a lot of football in the back half of the year. Yet a club sees no need to be in a rush to provide them with any form of security.

“So I just like sometimes to provide a little bit of balance. There are players that are playing for a team and that are fully committed to that team that have a decent idea they might not be there next year, which makes zero difference to their performance or output.

“I haven't asked John that, but I would have thought if we were to be rational about it when you get dropped for the finals last year, I'm sure that thought would have popped into his mind.

“‘Is this where I see a long-term future for me because I thought I was going ok yet the biggest disappointment in my career has just unfolded before my eyes’, and it does take a little bit to work back from that without question, because it is a really challenging thing to have happened to you.”

Listen to the full chat with Lucas below: