Collingwood’s 2011 All-Australian defender Leon Davis says he’s confident he would’ve stayed at the AFL club if Mick Malthouse had remained as coach.
Malthouse, who guided the Magpies to a premiership in 2010 and a grand final appearance last year, had agreed to step down and hand over to his assistant Nathan Buckley for the 2012 season.
Davis was offered a reduced contract, reportedly around $200,000 compared to over $300,000 for 2011, and quit the club as the Magpies claimed the 30-year-old was heading home to Perth for family reasons.
But Davis told the Nine Network’s The Footy Show on Thursday night that he had a special relationship with Malthouse.
“For some others it would have been okay to take that reduction, but for me I wasn’t comfortable doing that,” Davis said.
“I made the decision to come home and I wasn’t happy to come home and I wasn’t happy to stay there with the contract on the table.”
Davis said he was confident the ongoing presence of Malthouse as coach would have been enough to convince him to stay on for a 13th season at Collingwood.
Fifth in last year’s Copeland Trophy, Davis was in good form and had unfinished business at the club after playing in losing grand finals in 2002 and 2003 and the drawn grand final of 2010, suffering the pain of being dropped for the replay which the Magpies won against St Kilda.
He played in another losing grand final side last year against Geelong.
“Mick has always made me feel welcome. I’m not taking nothing away from `Bucks’ and the rest of the footy club of course,” Davis said.
“Me and Mick sort of had that special bond where he took me in as an 18-year-old when I first got over there and really did make sure that I felt comfortable and welcome down at the club back then.
“I’m pretty confident that if Mick was still around at the Collingwood Football Club, there’s a pretty good chance I’d still be there.
“I always wanted Mick to stay and coach on.
“I had a great relationship with Mick and of course being one of the all-time greatest coaches, I wanted to see him stay on at Collingwood.”
Davis said he couldn’t recall if he had told the Magpies after the 2011 grand final – as claimed by club president Eddie McGuire – that his wish to leave was based purely on wanting to go back to Perth for family reasons.
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