Didak Likely To Stay…

One of the biggest stories to come out of 2008 for the Pies was the indiscretions of Heath Shaw and Alan Didak.  Whilst Heath Shaw was considered relatively safe – since it was his first transgression – Didak’s career at Collingwood looked to be in serious jeopardy.  Both Shaw and Didak were suspended for the remainder of the season, with their futures to be decided once Collingwood exited the race.

During this period, Collingwood fans have waited anxiously to find out the fate of Alan Didak.  It seems we no longer have to wait, as this week gave us the best indication that Alan will continue his career in the black and white.  On Thursday, Didak’s long awaited public apology and interview was aired on The Footy Show, where he expressed remorse for his actions but most importantly a genuine desire to carry out his career at Collingwood.

This interview was followed a day later by Eddie McGuire stating that Didak was a required player; elaborating that he thought Didak was a “good young fella” and that he had “learnt a lot over the past six weeks.”  All these comments bode well for Didak remaining a Collingwood player and I must say that I’m thrilled at the prospect.

Let’s face it, Didak has been guilty of making poor and irresponsible decisions, the standout being his association with the CBD shooter last year.  However, his latest indiscretion – although not ideal – was not the unforgivable sin that the media made it out to be.  Didak was guilty of getting intoxicated and being a passenger in an equally intoxicated Heath Shaw’s car.  The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Didak and Shaw lied to club officials as to whether Didak was present.

Whilst it was poor form on Shaw and Didak’s part to lie to their club and team mates, one can understand the reason they were dishonest.  The sole intention on Shaw and Didak’s part was to avoid a further media circus by distancing Didak from what was already an undesirable situation.  It was poor judgement on their part and they were rightfully punished, but there was no malice involved and it could even be argued that the players involved – particularly Didak – were trying to protect the club.

From a supporter’s perspective, I had decided that Didak was entirely in control of his destiny as far as remaining a Collingwood player was concerned — and it seems that the club was of a similar persuasion.  If Didak expressed a desire to remain at Collingwood and do whatever it took to make things right, then Collingwood would be best served by keeping him.  Didak has since checked these boxes and nobody can question his passion for the football club or how sincere he is in his aspirations to play out his career at Collingwood.

This isn’t the first time that Didak has shown his loyalty towards the club.  Back in 2003 when Nick Stevens was asking to be traded to Collingwood, Port Adelaide demanded we trade them Alan Didak as compensation.  Didak was originally from South Australia and even played with the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL.  Yet when approached by club officials he expressed no interest in returning to Port Adelaide and furthermore; showed a deep desire to remain a Collingwood player.

The club has stood by Didak and have no doubt had their faith tested.  His ability and output on the field has never been in question, as Didak has been one of our better performed players over the last couple of seasons and has proven to be a matchwinner on several occasions.  All that is required of Alan now is to reward the faith shown in him off-field.

From a list management perspective and with a view to the future, losing Didak was never a good option for Collingwood.  We already lack some much needed class in the midfield, which is something we are no doubt looking to remedy this off-season.  Regardless of what we received in exchange for Didak, the gaps we desperately need to fill would have been widened by his departure.

Collingwood has succeeded in setting a disciplinary standard for the players by leaving Didak and Shaw on the sidelines when we needed them the most.  On top of this, in the wake of the Shaw and Didak incident we blooded Chris Dawes and John McCarthy earlier than we otherwise may have, enabling us to provide them with invaluable experience.  Didak was already an established player bordering on elite and we can only hope that now – after the blowtorch has been applied – a fire has been lit within Alan to silence the doubters and reward the Collingwood Football Club and its supporters.