Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey is in hot water amid reports he broke his hand during a fight but told the AFL club a false story about the injury.

De Goey initially told the Magpies he sustained the injury when he caught his hand on the edge of a door while throwing a toy for his pet dog.

Fox Footy is reporting De Goey has since admitted to being involved in a fight while celebrating his 21st birthday.

The injury will require surgery and is set to rule De Goey out for up to three weeks, adding to the club’s injury woes.

It is also likely to cause embarrassment for the Magpies after coach Nathan Buckley repeated De Goey’s original story while speaking to media on Monday.

“You won’t believe me … he was playing with his dog,” Buckley said.

“If we don’t laugh, we’ll cry about it – or I will, anyway.”

The bizarre story echoed a similar tale involving De Goey’s teammate Jeremy Howe, who was sidelined for several weeks with a broken finger in February last year.

There was speculation at the time Howe was hurt playing cricket but the Magpies remain adamant it happened while playing frisbee with his dog.

De Goey has emerged as one of Collingwood’s most promising young midfielders and was expected to be an important contributor in his third AFL season.

Collingwood have been contacted for comment.