Pure Footy: Stats gurus David King and Daniel Hoyne on the big trends ahead of round 15

Nick Daicos is favourite for the Brownlow, but remarkable stats show he could be even more damaging in a different role.

Is Craig McRae holding an ace up his sleeve for the business end of the season?

Kangaroos champion and Fox Footy analyst David King says he has tried to make the case to the Collingwood coach that he is playing his best player at the wrong end of the ground.

Daicos has starred playing mainly as a rebounding defender in his second season – Champion Data’s new player ratings reveal he is performing 2.1 AFL Player Ratings points above expectation per 100 minutes in defence.

WATCH A NEW EPISODE OF PURE FOOTY ABOVE

When he moves into the midfield, he’s performing 1.5 AFL Player Ratings points above expectation. But when he has been thrown forward, his numbers are off the charts.

“Nick Daicos is performing above expectation in every area of the ground, he’s a superstar,” Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne said in a new episode of Pure Footy.

“He’s played 300 minutes as a forward this year, so it’s a reasonable sample size, and he’s shooting the lights out.

“He’s performing above average as a midfielder and above average as a defender, but what he’s doing in the front half of the ground, to me, is something that could be worth consideration ... that magnet could be worth moving.”

Could Nick Daicos be an even more damaging player in another position? Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

King said as good as Daicos had been, his impact could be far greater using his skills closer to goal.

“Nick Daicos is the best centre-forward player in the competition and he’s not playing centre-forward,” he said.

“He’s got all the tools ... he’s an elite inside-50 kicker. You’ve got to get him the ball forward of centre.

“I’ve had this debate with Craig McRae. I think he’s being under-utilised and he’s favourite for the Brownlow. So work that out – it’s madness.

“In the back of my mind I think McRae is holding him back for the last part of the year.”

Also on this week’s episode, Hoyne and King reveal the players who stand up when games are on the line – and the surprising names who go missing – the position switch Chris Fagan must persist with, why Essendon is “charging to the top four” and St Kilda’s biggest problem.

Originally published as Pure Footy: Stats gurus David King and Daniel Hoyne on the big trends ahead of round 15