Pies show faith in Keeffe
Despite Lachlan Keeffe's serious knee injury, Collingwood has re-signed the key defender
COLLINGWOOD revelation Lachlan Keeffe won't play again this season, but he can be assured of his future for the next two years after signing a new contract.
The 22-year-old Queenslander has been rewarded for his progression over the first nine rounds with an extension that locks him in as a Pie until at least the end of 2014.
Unfortunately, Keeffe’s year has come to a premature conclusion after season-ending surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament on Tuesday.
Keeffe landed awkwardly on his right knee in the last quarter of Saturday night's 26-point win over Adelaide at AAMI Stadium and was stretchered from the ground.
His injury came just days after coach Nathan Buckley labelled him a "godsend" given his ability to fill a solid key defensive post in the absence of injured first-choice backmen Chris Tarrant, Nathan Brown and Ben Reid this year.
Keeffe came to the Magpies after he was spotted by recruiting manager Derek Hine during an AFL Queensland rookie search in 2007.
As a Gympie native, Keeffe had a soccer background and had played just a handful of school Australian Rules matches when he was identified by Hine.
He made his AFL debut in round 16 last year, and played in both attack and defence before Buckley earmarked him for a key position in the backline this season.
He showed remarkable resilience in the opening two months of the season, which left Buckley to agree he was one of the most important inclusions against the Crows given the players missing from Collingwood’s defence.
"Going through the pre-season, you would have thought that he'd struggle to get a game in front of Reid, Brown and Tarrant," Buckley said last week.
"We actually haven't had a lot of luck with our tall defenders, apart from the fact that ‘Keeffey’ has taken the responsibility and the opportunity and really run with it.
"He's been a godsend for us in many ways. The fact that ‘Keeffey’ has stood up has been very important for our early season form."
The Magpies announced Keeffe's new deal on their television program The Club on Wednesday night.
They've used the show to reveal other contract extension news this year, including the re-signings of Heath Shaw and Scott Pendlebury.
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.