Collingwood father-son Josh Daicos will make his debut for the Magpies against Geelong
COLLINGWOOD’S son-of-a-gun Josh Daicos has inherited similar “one-grab” traits from his legendary father, Peter. So how excited should the Magpies faithful be?
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COLLINGWOOD’S son-of-a-gun Josh Daicos has inherited similar “one-grab” traits from his legendary father, Peter, according to club great Tony Shaw, but he has urged fans to temper their expectations ahead of the teenager’s much-anticipated debut against Geelong on Saturday.
The Magpies on Thursday night took a bold new step into the future, naming the 18-year-old former Oakleigh Chargers forward/midfielder for his first game — 24 years after his Dad’s final match in black and white.
He was named at half-forward to take on the Cats at the MCG, on the same line as fellow father-sons Callum Brown and Darcy Moore.
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Daicos is Collingwood’s 41st father-son player across 125 seasons, and the young Magpie’s inclusion comes after several strong performances in the VFL as well as being the senior travelling emergency against Port Adelaide last week.
Shaw, who played alongside Peter Daicos for 15 seasons, including the 1990 premiership year, said it was impossible not to be excited by coach Nathan Buckley’s decision to reward the young Magpie.
“I have always said Peter Daicos is the greatest player I have ever seen in a Collingwood jumper, (so) I feel sorry for Josh in a way,” Shaw said.
“He has a fair bit to live up to, but that’s life.
“I don’t expect too much out of him (on Saturday), but I am rapt they are playing him because his form in the VFL has been good enough.
“In a year in which we are not going to play finals, I think there have been some real positives. When you have Brown and Daicos debut in the one year, you are starting to think that hopefully it is going to work out for them.
“I’m rapt for Josh and I am rapt for the (Daicos) family.”
Shaw has seen Daicos first-hand in a few VFL games, saying: “He is a one-grabber like his old man, he is a front and centre player.”
He has averaged almost 17 disposals from 14 VFL games, kicking eight goals.
Peter Daicos, nicknamed the Macedonian Marvel, was one of Collingwood’s most-loved footballers, kicking 549 goals across his 250 games from 1979 to 1993.
Peter’s debut came as a 17-year-old schoolboy at Victoria Park in Round 4, 1979, a game in which Collingwood defeated St Kilda by 178 points — the club’s biggest ever win.
The silky-skilled midfielder/forward, who made the No. 35 the most reproduced number among the Collingwood crowd, had extraordinary balance, the ability to create something out of nothing and the art of slotting through goals from seemingly impossible angles.
He won two Copeland Trophies (1982 and 1988) and kicked a season-high 97 goals in 1990.
Josh Daicos, who will wear the No. 26 jumper, is one of three changes for the Magpies, along with Tim Broomhead and Josh Smith also included.
Key players Alex Fasolo (shoulder), Jordan De Goey (hip) and Tyson Goldsack (soreness) were ruled out.
Buckley said Daicos had earned his chance, saying: “Obviously (he) has been on the cusp with the carry-over (from the VFL) last week, and has had really solid form through the VFL.”
Scott Pendlebury said recently of the 178cm teenager: “He’s got the skill. He’s got the movement. He gets in and out of traffic really well.
“It’s a big call but I think he is similar to what (Daniel Wells) is when he gets the ball. He will give it to someone with ample time and space to make a really good decision. Daics has got that same ability.”
Daicos was eased into the TAC Cup system but impressed in his top-age year with Oakleigh last year. He was drafted as pick 57 last year as a father-son, along with Callum Brown.
His brother, Nick, also looms as a possible father-son prospect in the future, having shown good promise with Kew Rovers Under 15s this year.
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