'No hard feelings' in Thomas's Blues switch DALE Thomas yesterday declared that he held no ill-feelings towards Collingwood after confirming his desire to join its historical rival Carlton on a multi-million-dollar deal. The 26-year-old did not attend the Magpies' best and fairest awards on Friday after being advised that fans would be angered by a move that, in the past, would be akin to football treason. On the night, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire declared the club was determined to put to an end the "self-first" attitude that had crept into the club, a message that seemed clearly aimed at those departing the Magpies. But before leaving for an overseas trip with a group including his former teammates, Thomas said he had called Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley to clear the air. He took it pretty well. I called him up and then went in and had a meeting with him. Bucks has got no hard feelings," he said. He's got a fantastic group there at Collingwood and he's going to steer them in the direction he wants. I wish those boys all the best of luck. Dubbed the best player in the competition by Fremantle coach Ross Lyon a couple of seasons ago, good fortune has deserted Thomas over the past two years. He missed the majority of this year with an ankle injury that threatened to cruel his career, but the 157-game player has recently received positive medical advice. Although the deal was not yet official, Thomas said he was excited that he would be reunited with his former coach Mick Malthouse on a four-year deal reportedly worth just shy of $3 million. "I've obviously had a tough couple of years and when this opportunity arose with the free agency and the like, I thought it was just the right time to move on," he told Fox Sports News.