Nick Daicos breaks Marcus Windhager tag to lead Collingwood to a 34-point win over St Kilda

If you go after Nick Daicos, you best not miss. And that’s exactly what happened at Marvel Stadium, even if Ross Lyon had some questions about how Daicos was umpired.

Tyler Lewis

@tmlew_

3 min read

June 22, 2025 - 8:26AM

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St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has questioned whether Nick Daicos is umpired differently to others after two early free kicks went the Collingwood star’s way.

Daicos won the entertaining battle with St Kilda tagger Marcus Windhager, propelling the Magpies to a 34-point win with a best-on-ground display.

The midfielder was paid two dubious free kicks early in the contest and finished with four frees for.

Lyon saw both players “have their moments” but was confused with some of the decisions judged against Windhager.

“Daicos had a fair bit of ball, a few entries, he moved around (and) I think we handled that,” Lyon said.

Bobby Hill and Jamie Elliott celebrate with Nick Daicos. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

The Collingwood star shook off the tag this week,

“We’ll probably go early and look at some of those free kicks, I am not sure they’re free kicks but I think we’ll take that in and ask the question.

“Are there two sets of rules going around? I am not sure, am I allowed to say that?

“I think he’s (Daicos) a great player, we know that, a great young player – at the end they (Collingwood) get the points and go, ‘It didn’t work’.

Daicos was crucial in Collingwood’s third quarter burst – which collected three goals in two minutes – before hitting the scoreboard himself with only an inch of space in the last.

He finished with 30 disposals, five clearances, nine inside 50s, nine score involvements and a goal.

Craig McRae once again stressed the importance of protecting Daicos after the hard tag was in action.

“I just said to Nick when he came off for the first break that we don’t want him to fight the battles, we’ll fight them for him,” he said.

“He didn’t need to get caught up in the wrestle of that; the free kick against I am probably talking about.

“As a group, as a team, we want to look after him (and) we don’t want him sitting there feeling like he’s fighting his own battle.

“I feel like tonight as a collective, Nick’s had 30 possessions, so you’d say his performance was pretty impactful and then the way we looked after Nick.”

"Wait for the cheer!" ðŸ”¥

Nick Daicos stands up when the Pies need him!

ðŸ“º Watch #AFLPiesSaints on ch. 504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/ZixYbmN2TE
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/leGWXECYkV
ðŸ”¢ MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/2OTXsMBGsz pic.twitter.com/6yfjdbhmf4
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 21, 2025

Pressure machine Beau McCreery was ominously filling Daicos’ shoes in the first term, particularly at centre bounce, before he sustained a hamstring injury.

The Magpies are now more than a game clear of reigning premier Brisbane with last-placed West Coast next week.

OH NO, UMP

Isaac Quaynor could not believe it.

The Collingwood defender paid the ultimate price for a questionable free kick in the opening quarter on Saturday night.

Quaynor seemingly laid a good tackle on St Kilda small forward Dan Butler, applying enough pressure to prevent his opponent from kicking a goal.

But the Magpie was pinned for a holding the man free kick and was left further upset as Butler went back to fire truly at goal.

The Magpies fans joined Quaynor in disbelief later as the boundary umpire called a tight call along the wing in play.

“The umpires; they just guess sometimes,” former Melbourne star David Schwarz said on SEN.

Darcy Cameron fires out a handpass. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

KICK THE GOAL, NICK

Goal of the year was on offer – but the little champ gave it away.

Nick Daicos was starting to break the net of Marcus Windhager when he robbed himself of another personal highlight.

St Kilda was moving quickly through the middle of the ground before Daicos read the play like he wrote the script.

Daicos burst out with a runway of space between him and the goals – but after two bounces he bombed away inside 50.

Not only did Daicos pass up an opportunity for an intercept, at least five bounces and a goal – he turned the ball over.

LATE PHILLIPOU PAIN

It was a cruel curveball for St Kilda and its luckless young gun.

Mattaes Phillipou was withdrawn from Saturday’s clash with Collingwood just minutes before the first bounce.

Phillipou did not make it through the pre-game warm-up and was removed from the game with a calf injury.

St Kilda kept Tobie Travaglia as its substitute and parachuted emergency Ryan Byrnes into the starting side.

The visibly emotional Phillipou missed the start of the year through injury and was then withdrawn from his return game after failing to make it through training.