AFL Draft 2021: Will Pies have to match No.1 bid for father-son prodigy Nick Daicos?
Collingwood father-son Nick Daicos has recruiters salivating, but will another club force the Pies to match a No.1 overall bid for the teenage prodigy?
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AFL rivals will be prepared to make Collingwood match a No.1 overall bid for father-son Nick Daicos as he continued his stunning junior form this week.
Daicos wowed the AFL’s entire club recruiting staff at a NAB League game playing for the Oakleigh Chargers against the Sandringham Dragons on Easter Monday.
Daicos returned to the NAB League team after playing a VFL practice match for Collingwood and exploded with three goals, 28 possessions, 177 ranking points, four clearances and seven tackles.
Recruiters are aware many potential AFL stars could still emerge in the NAB League in coming months after it was wiped out in 2020.
But he is the clear No.1 prospect at this stage given his fully-rounded midfield game.
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As one AFL recruiting boss said yesterday, Adelaide’s determination to bid on the Western Bulldogs-linked Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has changed the game when it comes to early bids.
The No.1 pick is worth 3000 points under the league’s draft index compared to as little as 2234 points for the No.4 draft selection.
The Pies would then secure a 20 per cent discount for matching a father-son bid and have already traded out their first-round pick but secured a swag of later selections.
They have the Western Bulldogs’ second-round pick but gave theirs to Hawthorn and three third-round picks, having secured the picks of Adelaide and Fremantle in pick swaps last year.
Adelaide made clear it was prepared to uphold the integrity of its draft order last year, with one AFL recruiter believing it had set a standard.
“In the past no one was going to bid at Number 1 but if you have got pick one and think he’s the best player you have to do it,” he said.
“Forget the fact he will end up there and they will get the number one pick. I don’t think any club will hesitate to bid. It’s the way it has to be. The only way the system works is if players get on on where they are ranked.
“At this stage he is No.1. A lot can change. Jamarra last year was a tall and it’s what sets him apart but Daicos is the best player at the moment. It’s his footy smarts, coupled with his athleticism, his ability to play midfield and forward, to impact the scoreboard but also create up the ground, to make decisions under pressure and then the X-factor, which is hard to find. He can do special things.”
Recruiters say Daicos will continue to improve given he didn’t play in the Under-16 national carnival and like all Victorian teens missed a year with COVID.
Having spent considerable time with Collingwood over the summer he also has a fast track on their game style.
With a January 3 birth date he was only a handful of days away from being draft eligible for the 2020 season so will be ready to hit the ground running by the 2022 season.
Originally published as AFL Draft 2021: Will Pies have to match No.1 bid for father-son prodigy Nick Daicos?
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