Following media speculation, Matthew Knights today set the record straight regarding talk of an early contract extension and pay-rise.

 

He said the future of his contract is not something he is thinking about - it is something that his management will look after when the time comes – adding that he is simply worrying about this week’s game against Collingwood.

 

“The bottom line is the club has had no contact with my management, Peter Jackson was on record yesterday saying he hadn’t been given any scope to move forward with anything,” Knights said.

 

“My role is to coach, to coach players and to coach a team and that is what I am concentrating on. As I said, the things behind the scenes are for my manager to deal with - I don’t really get involved.

 

“I don’t take anything as fact until it actually happens; I guess that is just the way I work as a person.

 

“I think it is the board’s responsibility to make that decision when and how, they will ring my manager and if they want to talk, if they don’t, well that’s just the way it is.”

 

Knights said he is excited about Friday night's clash against Collingwood on the MCG stage.

 

“Our guys are looking forward to the contest, Collingwood are in purple form, they have won five in a row, not many teams have been able to do that this year,” he said.

 

“They are in rare form and we will have to play pretty similar football to what we played last week to be able to top them.

 

“The great thing about Collingwood is that they are probably creative geniuses in some way with Alan Didak, Dane Swan and Leon Davis. They do make something out of nothing, that’s why they are a pretty dangerous football side.

 

“There is a pretty big build up to these big games, we have gone into these games as underdogs most of the time, ranked as outsiders, and I think it has played in our favour a little bit.

 

“Our games against Collingwood are generally pretty well fought out; certainly the last game couldn’t get any closer.

 

“We are two reasonably matched sides and we will go out there pretty aggressively again and hope to come away with the points.”