AFL news: Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos poised to sign new Collingwood deal, Tom De Koning wants Carlton stay

Tom De Koning has made his intentions clear to Carlton after fielding big offers for rivals, while Nick Daicos is poised to re-sign a lucrative deal with Collingwood.

Nick Daicos. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

Short-priced Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos is in preliminary discussions with Collingwood over a four-year extension that could secure him at the club until the end of 2029.

It comes as his Friday night’s MCG rival Tom De Koning has made clear he is determined to play for Carlton in coming seasons.

The De Koning camp and Carlton are deep in talks on what would likely be a two-year deal in what is a stunning show of faith in the Blues’ future direction.

De Koning has no guarantees he will be the club’s leading ruckman, given Marc Pittonet’s four-year contract, and he shapes as the club’s third forward behind key position duo Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.

But despite massive interest from Sydney, Geelong and St Kilda, the ruck-forward wants to stay at Ikon Park.

Tom De Koning is poised to remain at Carlton. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Those negotiations are now down to De Koning’s potential price with the Blues having $600,000 a year of salary cap space available, but are potentially open to improving their offer.

De Koning was left out of the Blues’ AFL team earlier in the season, but his form in recent weeks has been strong in the club’s late season revival.

The Magpies have had early discussions with the Daicos camp about what a new deal would look like for the star midfielder, who does not turn 21 until January.

They remain somewhat apart about the scope of that deal which would likely make Daicos one of footy’s newest millionaires.

The Herald Sun revealed this week that footy’s pay negotiations could be brokered within the next fortnight.

It would give both parties greater clarity on the salary cap from 2026 onwards when a new Daicos deal would kick in.

He remains contracted for the next two seasons after signing an initial four-year deal when he was drafted as a highly-rated father-son selection in late 2021.

One possibility is converting the likely incentive-based performance clauses in his contract for 2024 and 2025 into guaranteed money to reflect his extraordinary performance since the initial deal was struck.

As a second-year player, Daicos can only earn as much as $250,000 this season, given his base wage and $5000 per game match payments.

He has not missed a match since joining the Magpies and is now $1.60 favourite with TAB to win this year’s Brownlow Medal in only his second season.

Nick Daicos is poised to sign a new deal with Collingwood. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The Herald Sun recently detailed how Daicos’ brother Josh was set to cash in on his pre-agency status by signing a new long-term deal with Collingwood, which could be as long as six years.

He is already contracted for next season, but his outstanding form this season will be rewarded as he is in All-Australian calculations after a brilliant season on the wing in Craig McRae’s high-octane team.

While the Nick Daicos negotiations could take some months to be finalised, another Connors Sports client in Josh Rachele recently added four years to his contract to extend his deal through to free agency.

Collingwood has flagged its determination to be aggressive in the free agency and trade period this year, given its significantly improved salary cap position. The club announced new deals with a raft of players this week including Mason Cox, John Noble, Beau McCreery and Ash Johnson.

Nick Daicos is a marketer’s dream having recently signed a new Nike deal as the clean-cut face of footy’s most marketable club, with the Magpies’ massive supporter base and clear brand appeal an added appeal.

Collingwood footy boss Graham Wright last week strongly denied reports that Nick Daicos had a $100,000 Brownlow bonus in this year’s contract.

Wright said under AFL rules second year players were under a mandatory collective bargaining agreement pay scale.

But the riches on offer for Daicos if he continues his great form for the rest of the season includes a $100,000 Lexus car from Channel 9’s MVP award as well as the associated commercial benefits of a likely Brownlow Medal victory.

Originally published as AFL news: Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos poised to sign new Collingwood deal, Tom De Koning wants Carlton stay