Collingwood will manage young gun Nick Daicos but not rest him from games

As 17 AFL clubs work out how to stop Collingwood young gun Nick Daicos, coach Craig McRae has revealed the cautious way the Magpies are handling him.

Magpies head coach Craig McRae will not rest young star Nick Daicos. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Collingwood coach Craig McRae says he‘s managing Brownlow favourite Nick Daicos like a “two-year-old racehorse”, conceding the young star is enduring niggles and would be given rest during the week to avoid missing games.

On Friday morning, McRae confirmed Mason Cox would play for the first time since round 2 and it was “good to have someone tall back in the team”, having used back-up ruckmen in their charge to the top of the AFL ladder.

Daicos, playing just his second season at the top level, has been key in that charge with a run of form some have declared among the best starts to an AFL career.

Nick Daicos has taken the AFL by storm. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Having blitzed the opening six rounds, which included snaring the Anzac Medal in round 6, the 20-year-old was on light duties at training this week, having played in last week’s nailbiting win over Adelaide with some soreness.

McRae said midweek management of Daicos would be crucial this season but resting him from games wasn’t something that was in his plans for now.

“Would you rest him?” he responded when asked if Daicos would get a spell.

“He was a little bit sore going into the (Adelaide) game and then we looked after it postgame.

“People forget he’s a young body. He’s only in his second year. He hasn’t played much footy prior to last year and we’re going to look after his body, so we did.

“I liken (young players) to horses – two-year-old horses don’t race too often, some do and then they need a break, recover and go again, so we’re gonna have to do that during the week.”

McRae conceded Daicos had a “couple of little niggles” he was also dealing with.

“It’s nothing major, nothing that we can’t manage, just a bit of time to recover,” he said.

Former captain Scott Pendlebury will also return after missing the Crows’ clash with an eye injury sustained on Anzac Day.

McRae confirmed the club had spoken to the AFL umpiring department about several controversial decisions in the win over Adelaide, including an incident that resulted in a blow to the head for defender Nathan Murphy.

Nathan Murphy didn’t get a free kick for this collision. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The AFL admitted in the aftermath its umpires erred in not awarding Murphy a free kick after he was clattered by Crows forward Darcy Fogarty and forced from the ground.

But McRae said there was no need, nor time, to dwell on the issue ahead of the club’s first clash with the Swans at the MCG since 2013.

“What’s the point?,” he said of worrying about what happened.

“We’re looking to move on. I think they admitted a couple of errors.

“I’m not aware if that’s true or not but we keep moving forward.”

Originally published as Collingwood will manage young gun Nick Daicos but not rest him from games