Leon Davis Biography

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley admits he needed to be better during a 2017 media conference about Heritier Lumumba's claims of racism at the club, claims which have been backed up by other former Magpies in Leon Davis and Andrew Krakouer.

"We don't want people to ever feel like they're diminished or vilified or seen as less than in our environment. If that is their experience, then it needs to be acknowledged. And for that, I think the club has said it apologises unreservedly.

"Obviously, I have been a part of this club for a long time so I don't like the fact that people have felt that way and I've got to - we've all got to - listen and learn more to the experiences and acknowledge them rather than dismissing them."

Leon Davis says he would still be at Collingwood if Mick Malthouse was at the club.

"I'm pretty confident if Mick was still around at the Collingwood Football Club, there's a pretty good chance I'd still be there," Davis told The Footy Show.

"Me and Mick sort of had that special bond. He took me in as a young 18-year-old when I first got over there and really did make sure I felt comfortable and welcome down at the club back then."

Leon Davis says he is content with leaving the Magpies to join to join WAFL club Perth despite the decision costing him an estimated $190,000 in salary.

"I don't really want to dwell on it and will keep that information close to my chest," Davis said when asked if his decision to leave the Magpies was based on the club asking him to take a pay cut.

"I'm happy with the way things panned out. I was at Collingwood for a long time and really enjoyed my time there and was lucky enough to play 200 games. I'm looking forward to the next stage of my life now that it's all over."

Leon Davis signs with the Perth Demons for two WAFL seasons after being overlooked in the pre-season and rookie drafts.

Port Adelaide decides it will not draft two-time All Australian Leon Davis at Tuesday's pre-season draft.

"We've had a lot of discussion about Leon as we have worked through all the options," Port's general manager of football Peter Rohde said.

"Leon has been a great footballer, but on balance we have decided that he's not the best fit for the direction we are taking as a football club."

A Port Adelaide minor sponsor says it will become a major partner in 2012 if the club recruits Brendan Fevola and Leon Davis.

Port Adelaide now says they have rekindled their interest in Leon Davis.

"Leon Davis is on the agenda," Port Adelaide football manager Peter Rohde said.

"There's been a lot of talk about Davis but, in our contact with him and his management, the financial (demands) were well and truly outside of our capabilities."

At one stage a frontrunner for the services of Leon Davis, Port Adelaide now says it has cooled on the prospect of recruiting the 30-year old former Magpie.

"We've spoken with him once but the age (30) is an issue for us, obviously," Power football operations manager Peter Rohde said.

"We would love to have his talent in our team but he is going to be 30 and we've got to be very careful about holding back any of our younger ones."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says the club will not chase former Collingwood star Leon Davis.

"He is a highly decorated player, All Australian last year and we're very respectful of Leon's talent," Lyon said.

"In a real sense he'd be an addition to any club in the AFL, but getting back to our club's strong strategy, post this draft we'll have drafted more players than anyone in the AFL over the past four years, young players in, so we're not going to compromise that."

Collingwood's Chris Dawes says he respects Leon Davis' decision to leave the club.

"I don't think it was our place to [talk him out of the decision]," Dawes said.

"He's got to make that decision for himself and there would have been no doubt in his mind how much his teammates care about him, or his former teammates cared about him and valued him."

Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi says he believes luring ex-Collingwood star Leon Davis will be a positive for the Power.

"He is a player with enormous skill and has obviously been at a club that is at their peak," Cassisi said.

"And from what I hear he has got some pretty good things to offer the young guys as well in terms of some of his leadership. So no doubt he has got a lot of positive things that he can bring to our group."

Power football operations manager Peter Rohde confirms that the club is interested in former Magpie Leon Davis.

"We're definitely interested in him but we need to find out exactly where he's at and what he wants to do before we can progress," Rohde said.

"We know he can still play - he was an All-Australian this year, so he's got some credentials behind him - but we need to find out whether he's keen (to join Port) and how serious he is about his football now."

Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus says he has spoken to former Magpie Leon Davis about joining the Power.

"We've made contact with him to see where he's at with his footy and what he's willing to do, like the clubs in Adelaide and Perth are probably doing," Primus said.

"We'll take it from there. At the moment he's on our radar, but we're just interested to see where he's at with his footy."

Leon Davis says he quit Collingwood for family reasons, not dissatisfaction with the Pies' contract offer.

"I love Collingwood. I have given my all for 11 years and they have been great to me," Davis said.

"But I have made a lot of family sacrifices along the way and now is the time to put them first."

Two-time All Australian Leon Davis' manager Liam Pickering informs Collingwood that Davis has decided to quit the club.

"He said Leon had come to a decision that he wanted to stay in WA for family reasons and we've been since trying to get hold of Leon, both myself and Nathan Buckley, and we haven't been able to do that as yet," Magpies general manager of football Geoff Walsh said.

"So until we speak to Leon directly, even though we'll take face value of what Liam told us, there's not a lot I can confirm."

Leon Davis' manager Liam Pickering says Davis is prepared to move to Adelaide if he is unable to join either Fremantle or West Coast back home in Western Australia.

"Janelle, his partner, comes from South Australia, so if Port Adelaide or Adelaide were in the situation where they said `We think he can really add something to our group', well we'd certainly be keen to talk to them," Pickering said on SEN radio.

"Collingwood is a great club and if Collingwood was based in Perth he'd want to play there until he was 40. It's more just a lifestyle decision for Leon."

Collingwood defender Leon Davis has accepted a one-match ban for engaging in rough conduct in the 2011 grand final and will miss the first match of 2012.

Leon Davis says he has given his 2010 premiership medallion to his mother.

Davis failed to make an impact in the first Grand Final and was dropped for Tyson Goldsack in the Grand Final replay but was still awarded the medallion under the new AFL rules.

''I got one but I gave it to my mum,'' Davis said.

'''She claimed it straight away. She said you can give that to me and I will put it on my cabinet straight away. Any footy stuff I get I give to my olds. She was happy about it, but dad wasn't that I gave it to her.

''If I played in (a premiership win) they wouldn't be much chance to get it off me, I don't think. I would be keeping that one.''

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says he believes that forward Leon Davis has the necessary attributes to be a success in defense.

Davis impressed in the NAB Cup grand final by picking up 22 touches playing off half-back.

"I said to Leon at the end of last year, he really needed to do something different," Malthouse said.

"We've hoped he would be able to hold his own. There are a lot of idiosyncrasies about why he can make it; one is he's good in the air, he is very strong in body on body. I won't go right through it, but there a lot of characteristics that can make him a good back."

Leon Davis has spent much of the past fortnight in Perth after being given a leave of absence from the club following the death of his cousin.

"Leon has been given a couple of weeks leave of absence," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"He has had some pretty difficult family issues to deal with. One including a death and another a serious illness. We are quite comfortable to give him the time to be with his family in Perth."

Veteran forward Leon Davis isn't even an emergency for the grand final replay against St Kilda after failing to impress in Collingwood's first grand final.

Davis recorded modest statistics of just six disposals and one goal in the first grand final against the Saints which resulted in a draw.

Collingwood small forward Leon Davis admits he's fortunate to be playing in the 2010 Grand Final after being omitted due to hamstring soreness for the preliminary final against Geelong.

"I suppose I'm fortunate enough to be playing, and hopefully I can contribute tomorrow and we can have a win," Davis said.

"Mick's shown the faith in me to play me. It's all about the forward pressure with me, and hopefully I can do that tomorrow."

Outspoken Bulldog Jason Akermanis confirms that Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes is a stager but says he isn't alone in acting for free kicks.

"Unfortunately for Kane he's been doing it for many years and he's not the only one ... and the players know [who they are]," Akermanis said.

"Didak, I mean these kind of guys, you've got Leon Davis. And the umpires know it and they detest it."

Leon Davis says coach Michael Malthouse is largely responsible for him earning an All Australian nod this year after he contemplated leaving early in his career.

"He stuck by me - obviously I owe a whole lot to him for having the faith in me and looking after me when I first came over," Davis said.

"He really did understand where I came from, and how hard it was for me to leave home and all my family - he really did understand and I owe it to him.

"I'm happy, and I'm very honoured to be an All-Australian for this year."

Collingwood star Leon Davis says he wants to remain at Collingwood for the rest of his career after committing to the club until 2011.

"I struggled early with homesickness and stuff like that, but the club was great to me," Davis said.

"So in the end I just really wanted to stay at Collingwood and look after them like they did me.

"I'm just happy to be here for the next couple of years now and at the end of the day see how I'm feeling."

Dynamic midfielder/forward Leon Davis has re-signed with Collingwood until the end of 2011.

Paul Medhurst is confident he can hold his place in the Magpies' side for the clash with Essendon despite some returning stars.

Medhurst played his first senior game since Round 6 on Saturday when he was a late replacement for Leon Davis, who was suffering from a cold.

Davis is certain to return this Friday night, while Scott Pendlebury, who missed last week with a knee injury, is also in contention after training this morning.

"I was having a flash back to my days at Fremantle three years ago when they won nine in a row and I couldn't get back in the side," Medhurst said.

"But Leon's coming in and Scott's coming in, so someone's coming out."

Leon Davis is on the verge of signing a deal that should see him remain a Magpie for the rest of his career.

"In the early part of Leon's career, he would admit that he struggled to find some consistency," Collingwood chief of football Geoff Walsh said.

"But the hallmark of his games over the past 2 1/2-to-three seasons has been his consistency.

"Everyone knew he has elite talent, but he puts that on display in more games now. His skills have always been sublime; I just think we are seeing them much more regularly."

Leon Davis undergoes surgery for a broken jaw after being punched in the face while leaving a pub.

Davis was at the pub with friends when an altercation arose between two women, one of whom was part of Davis' group.

Collingwood have stated that Davis is the victim of assault and will take no action against him.

"From everything coming to me, Leon's been hit and is a victim and he's ended up with a broken jaw and wasn't even involved in a fight. It was more he was more set upon," Collingwood chief executive Gary Pert said.

As a result of the attack, Davis will miss up to two weeks of training during the pre-season.