AFL Draft 2021: Collingwood still in the dark on North Melbourne’s Nick Daicos plans
Collingwood still have no idea how much it is going to cost them to land father-son phenom Nick Daicos. Will North force their hand on draft night?
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Collingwood remains in the dark on how high a price it will have to pay for father-son phenom Nick Daicos.
The son of club great Peter Daicos has featured prominently in the headlines this year, given it’s been obvious for a long time he would be a high draft pick.
The Magpies were so convinced they offloaded this year’s first-round draft pick to Greater Western Sydney 12 months ago, knowing it would be absorbed by any bid on Daicos.
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They have already committed to giving Daicos a four-year contract – double the length of normal national draft deals.
Most industry sources believe North Melbourne is certain to spend the No.1 pick on South Adelaide’s Jason Horne-Francis rather than bidding on Daicos or Western Bulldogs father-son prospect Sam Darcy.
But Collingwood is still unsure what the Kangaroos will do.
The other factor is the Giants, who hold the second selection courtesy of that pick swap with the Pies last year, haven’t decided whether or not to bid on Daicos or Darcy.
That call may not be made until close to the November 24 draft.
GWS recruiting manager Adrian Caruso is on record as saying Darcy might be higher in the club’s rankings, because the Giants have a greater need for key-position players than midfielders.
Any potential scenario where Daicos – considered a sure-fire No.1-calibre talent – slides to the third selection or lower would be a massive win for Collingwood.
It would equally be somewhat of a blow to the Bulldogs, who will have fingers crossed Darcy falls outside the top two.
At the same time, they’ve had good fortune in the past two years, with Next Generation Academy graduate Jamarra Ugle-Hagan a gift as the No.1 selection in 2020.
Magpies list boss Graham Wright proactively amassed extra draft points in recent weeks in deals with Gold Coast, Fremantle and Richmond in preparation for any result.
They hold picks 36, 38, 40, 46, 48, 55, 58, 78 and 79 at this stage, which equate to 2406 draft points – already enough to match, even if North shocks everyone and bids on Daicos with the top pick.
There are descending points tallies for the lower Daicos tumbles and the fewer Collingwood has to use, the better its following draft picks will be.
Kangaroos recruiting chiefs Brady Rawlings and Scott Clayton have been effusive with their public praise of Horne-Francis.
Clayton said in a members’ forum on Wednesday that the teenager was “as good as any No.1 in any year I can remember”, while likening him to Patrick Dangerfield and Michael Voss.
Horne-Francis “as good as any No. 1 as in any year I can remember
North Melbourne’s experienced recruiter Scott Clayton has labelled South Adelaide wonderkid Jason Horne-Francis “as good as any No. 1 as in any year I can remember”.
The South Australian phenom is all but certain to go to the Kangaroos in next month’s draft, with Horne-Francis on the weekend conceding he is already thinking of himself as a North Melbourne player.
Clayton, who is the Kangaroos’ head of player personnel and has been a recruiter/list manager since 1991, said he was thrilled about the prospect of drafting Horne-Francis with pick 1.
“It’s a big mantle to carry for your whole career and this young man will carry it amazingly well,” Clayton said on an online Kangaroos’ member QandA.
“The thing that first jumps out is that he wants to be No 1, I just get that feeling.
“He is as good as any No. 1 as in any year I can remember.”
Horne-Francis’ stellar performances for the Panthers in the SANFL have resulted in him being labelled as a Patrick Dangerfield/Nat Fyfe clone.
Clayton said there were some other greats of the game that Horne-Francis shared attributes with.
“I don’t necessarily want to compare him to a player but he has the attributes of a (Michael) Voss and (Patrick) Dangerfield with that power and endurance combination that a lot of those great players have,” he said.
“Dusty Martin being another one.
“He certainly has that as well as courage, he is very forthright, he is assertive.
“He has everything, we meticulously rate and mark characteristics... and he is just a really exciting talent.”
But Clayton said it was some other aspects that had the Roos extremely excited about Horne-Francis.
“The thing that stands out above all that is that he is just a great teammate, that appeals to us more than anything,” he said.
“Everywhere you go, who do you respect the most as a teammate it is just him and also what came through loud and clear is how loyal he is.
“He is really looking forward to stamping himself as a professional athlete... it is a very exciting prospect.”
Kangaroos general manager football Brady Rawlings also confirmed that ex-Adelaide Crow Tom Lynch would be added to North’s rookie list.
Lynch had agreed to become a development coach at the Roos after he was not offered a new deal with the Crows and the 31-year-old will also be a player at his new club.
Kangaroos list manager Glenn Luff said this would help the development of younger players.
“From the forward line point of view it’s probably our youngest line across the ground and to have someone like Tom and his experience and to have that coaching while playing is valuable,” he said.
How pick swap can super-charge Tigers rebuild
— Marc McGowan
Collingwood has traded pick 27 to Richmond in a move to strengthen its draft hand, in anticipation of an early bid on father-son prospect Nick Daicos.
The deadline for player trades ended last Wednesday night, but clubs can still agree to pick swaps, including on draft night.
The Tigers gave up selections 38 and 40 in next month’s draft and a future third-round pick in exchange for pick 27.
The trade, which gives Collingwood more draft points, has been in the works for more than a week, as the Herald Sun revealed during the player trade period.
The original framework of the deal was for Richmond to give up 38, 42 and 47 for the Pies’ 27, but the Tigers’ trade with North Melbourne two Fridays ago changed their draft hand.
Richmond sent Callum Coleman-Jones, 42, 47 and a future fourth-round selection to the Kangaroos for Robbie Tarrant, 40 and a future second-round pick.
Collingwood was active in increasing its draft haul for this year during the trade period, engineering separate deals with Gold Coast and Fremantle.
MORE: AFL DRAFT ORDER AND TOP PROSPECTS
The idea is to maximise draft points to be able to match a bid for Daicos, which is likely to come at either pick two or three, with North Melbourne poised to select Jason Horne-Francis at No.1.
The Magpies now have picks 36, 38, 40, 46, 48, 55, 58, 78 and 79, which equates to 2406 draft points.
They would have to use 2400 points if the Roos bid on Daicos with the first pick, but that drops to 2068 or 1787 if the bid comes at the No.2 or No.3 selection, respectively.
The Tigers hold picks 7, 15, 26, 27, 28 and 83, placing them in a great spot to bundle them up to move further up the draft or grab five players inside the top 30.
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Originally published as AFL Draft 2021: Collingwood still in the dark on North Melbourne’s Nick Daicos plans
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