Deep dive: The rise and rise of Nick Daicos, how the Magpies nailed their recruiting and what’s next for Bailey Smith?

Nick Daicos continues to embarrass the social media tools who claim he wins easy kicks. If the naysayers don’t now realise they’re witnessing greatness, they will on Brownlow night.

Nick Daicos is favourite to win the Brownlow. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Daicos stepped on to Bourke St at 11.15pm on Friday night as Collingwood supporters celebrated in every direction.

Dressed in a plain green T-shirt, Daicos walked out the Marvel Stadium service entry and around the corner into the underground carpark.

Daicos was only fleetingly in public and largely went unnoticed as scarves hung out the windows of cars blasting the Magpies’ theme song after their 26th win from their past 29 home-and-away games.

He was almost incognito. For those who caught a glimpse it was an eye-rubbing reminder that the man taking the AFL by storm is also just a levelheaded boy still taking his first steps in the big time.

“He has the ability to see things others don’t see in tight congestion. He’s incredible at covering the ground,” coach Craig McRae said.

“It’s just week after week, it’s just press play and repeat on the messaging. He is an incredible talent.”

Daicos’ first seven disposals included six clearances against the Dogs.

He finished with 11 clearances – the most by a Magpie this year – for a towering total of 28 clearances in his past three games.

Nick Daicos was at his unstoppable best. Picture: Getty Images

Dogs coach Luke Beveridge said Daicos was agile, nimble and creative … just like his legendary dad, Peter.

Daicos had 15 contested possessions (No.1 on the ground) to further embarrass the social media tools who claim he wins easy kicks.

Perhaps the naysayers who refuse to appreciate witnessing greatness unfold before their eyes will button their lips when Brownlow Medal votes are counted.

It would now be a surprise if Daicos did not win the Brownlow Medal, rather than if he did.

And TV producers would be able to press play on a delightful highlights package.

There are look-away handballs by the week, microsecond decision-making, clutch goals – think Friday night’s banana and Anzac Day – and countless moments where his work-rate powers him forward to an attacking contest when opponents have been left in his dust.

Imagine that … a Brownlow Medal before his 50th game and 21st birthday, and after winning last year’s Rising Star, this year’s Anzac Day Medal, Friday night’s Bob Rose-Charlie Sutton and maybe with a premiership medallion to come, too.

The bookies will open Norm Smith markets with Daicos a clear favourite if the Magpies march to the grand final.

Daicos would not be the youngest Brownlow Medallist. In 1934 Dick Reynolds won it as a 19-year-old after 31 games, while Gavin Wanganeen also triumphed as a teenager in 1993.

But has there ever been a hotter start to a career?

In 1949 a 20-year-old John Coleman kicked 12 goals on debut (and six in a grand final win that year) while in 1990 Chris Grant booted 51.31 as a 17-year-old.

Then there was Chris Judd, who took Charlie home in his third season in 2004.

But this is Daicos’ second season and he is the best player in the game.

In Collingwood speak, 2003 Brownlow Medallist Nathan Buckley told Fox Footy: “He’s got the deception of a (Scott) Pendlebury and the short speed of a Dane Swan”.

RECRUITMENT

DAICOS replaced Jordan De Goey in the Magpies’ midfield last month.

But when De Goey returned onball against the Western Bulldogs, Daicos was riding shotgun.

He had to be.

“He keeps coming to me mid-week and saying, ‘Am I playing mids? Am I playing mids?’” McRae said.

“It’s hard to put him back, isn’t it?”

McRae showed his best midfield hand – Daicos attended the most centre bounces (24), followed by De Goey (23) and Pendlebury (21).

Tom Mitchell (13) and Taylor Adams (three) were at far less, with Adams now playing mostly forward and Jack Crisp back in defence.

But the Magpies meticulously planned for Daicos to move forward – both on the grass and in his career.

That is why McRae went out and signed speedster Oleg Markov, who he had known from Richmond.

Markov could help replace Daicos’ metres gained running off halfback.

“We want Nick Daicos to be midfielder futuristically – but it’s a cost because you move Nick from the backs,” McRae said.

Nick Daicos was involved in almost every big play for the Magpies. Picture: Getty Images

“You don’t have this overlap and you don’t have this decision making and Oleg’s clearly not Nick, but he’s a great version of himself and that’s all we want.

“We don’t ask him to be anyone else. His running capability I’ve known historically is unbelievable.

“Right now his magnet is firmly in that position.”

Daicos averaged 616 metres gained in rounds 1-6. Markov recorded another 361m on Friday night.

Markov is also one of the more popular Pies.

His infectious energy and smile is welcomed and he nailed Bailey Williams with a tackle that helped slow the Dogs’ momentum after they shot to a 19-0 lead.

It wasn’t only Oleg. Last year the Magpies broke down specific positions they needed – a get-your-hands-dirty onballer (Tom Mitchell), an intelligent forward (Bobby Hill), a full-back (Billy Frampton) and a sidekick for Brody Mihocek (Dan McStay).

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick for the targeted recruiting drive.

“Graham Wright and Derek Hine (and I) got together late last year (and said) this is our needs,” McRae said.

“We need an inside midfielder that can be a first possession player (Mitchel).

“We don’t have a number of magnets in that (clearance) role.

“We’re not going to stand still on this and there are still holes, we’re not finished.”

JULY PREMIERS

McRAE is using a Tour de France theme internally for July.

“It’s cold, it’s wet and wintry. It’s a time to get your hands dirty type of month, and we’ve set our sights on this four-week block in particular,” he said.

Perhaps the wins against the Suns and the Dogs were the sprints, culminating in the hill climb against second-placed Port Adelaide (AO) in round 19.

“We’ve spoken about how in the history of the game the top teams have really pulled away at this time of year and played some really good football post-bye,” Josh Daicos told this masthead.

“As a team we like to set small goals and we’ve set aside this month to try and play some really good football.”

Like Wright and Hine running the shrewd recruiting drive, you can tell this is a theory coated in football wisdom.

McRae is 41 games into his senior AFL coaching career, but it is his 17th season at an AFL club and he helped win three flags at Richmond after three as a player at Brisbane.

Senior assistants Justin Leppitsch (18 years’ coaching experience) and Brendon Bolton (21 years dating back to North Hobart days) are also schooled in success, Leppitsch with McRae and Bolton at Hawthorn during its flag three-peat.

Jordan De Goey returned against the Bulldogs after his suspension. Picture: Getty Images

Then there are midfield coaches, Scott Selwood and another veteran in Hayden Skipworth, who helped engineer the scores from stoppage rout.

Collingwood kicked 6.7 (43) to 1.3 (9) from that source and it was game over.

At one stage they had 12 out of 14 goals from stoppages.

The Magpies moved the ball from the inside to the outside so cleanly and quickly and they attacked the corridor.

In the lethal third quarter the Dogs onballers were trapped in two minds. They didn’t know whether to apply pressure or cover outlets.

The Magpie midfielders knew the Dogs love to handball, so they came forward with their pressure.

They would much rather turn the ball over with a handball, because the footy remains live and that keeps them in the play.

At halftime McRae showed vision to his players, helping his forwards adapt better and adjusting their method.

By the end of the night they took six more marks inside 50m from six fewer entries.

SPEED KILLS

DOGS coach Luke Beveridge noted the Pies possessed pace everywhere.

There was Isaac Quaynor, John Noble and Jack Crisp behind the ball, Bobby Hill, Beau McCreery and Ash Johnson in front of it and then Daicos and De Goey in the guts.

Crisp’s early run was significant. The Pies placed him in defence knowing the Dogs would bring a forward up to the stoppage, and Crisp clocked 4km in the first quarter. He also topped the match GPS with 14.5km.

Quaynor’s 30 sprint efforts and seven repeat sprints were the most on the ground.

Watching him attack the Sherrin took you back to last December, when Quaynor would constantly win 100m sprints at early pre-season sessions.

Quaynor’s 13 marks included a career-best eight intercept marks. He has lost a single one-on-one contest for the season.

Talent is one thing, but he and Daicos are brilliant because of their dedication.

Last off-season they worked with an external gym coach – and Daicos’ one-repetition maximum (1RM) on the bench press went from 80kg to 120kg.

Insiders say Daicos’ strength through his hip and core is important to his game.

Isaac Quaynor drove the Pies forward all night. Picture: Getty Images

DOGGIE WOES

BAILEY Smith had 41 disposals and two Brownlow Medal votes in the corresponding match last year.

On Friday night Smith had zero score involvements for the first time in his career.

Smith’s first kick sailed over Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s head on the wing and in the second quarter he was led to the footy by Markov the defender.

Beveridge has been open about Smith falling down the midfield pecking order at the Dogs and he was pushed to half-forward on Friday, attending only two centre bounces.

Smith has had 46 disposals in three-straight disappointing games. In the 2021 finals he was an emerging superstar; now he is a role player.

While Smith can’t get his hands on the ball, premiership spearhead Cameron Mooney lashed the Dogs for over-possessing the Sherrin.

Mooney said on Fox Footy the Dogs would miss finals because they were good on paper, but had problems.

“They must change a lot of things. They’re too slow … sometimes I just can’t watch them,” he said.

It was brutal, although Beveridge did partially agree with the overuse assessment.

He said there was “a lot of green on the Dogs’ stats sheet … but ultimately there’s a qualitative aspect of the game that they shone through in”.

Bailey Smith is badly out of form. Picture: Getty Images

THE DARCY DILEMMA

SAM Darcy kicked three goals in the closing minutes of the VFL to help Footscray pinch a victory.

Banged-up defender Ryan Gardner looks set to miss Thursday’s game against Sydney, and the Dogs desperately need a defensive reinforcement.

Ideally, it would be Darcy. But the backline pillars rarely visit the interchange, and the Dogs want to regulate Darcy’s minutes early in his career and he has missed a lot of football.

It leaves them with a dilemma. Do they dunk their wonderkid in the deep end against a forward line including Buddy Franklin, or leave him in the VFL and instead return to Josh Bruce?

Darcy played as a key forward and ruckman in the VFL, but the Dogs’ forward line clicked and will not be disturbed.

SCOREBOARD

BULLDOGS 3.1, 6.5, 7.7, 11.11 (77)

MAGPIES 1.4, 5.6, 11.8, 13.11 (89)

LERNER’S BEST

Bulldogs: Weightman, Naughton, Daniel, Ugle-Hagan, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Vandermeer. Magpies: N.Daicos, Quaynor, Elliott, Noble, Markov, Johnson, Mitchell.

GOALS

Bulldogs: Naughton 4, Weightman 4, Ugle-Hagan 2, Poulter.

Magpies: Elliott 4, Johnson 3, N.Daicos 2, De Goey, J.Daicos, Frampton, Lipinski.

INJURIES: Bulldogs: Nil. Magpies: Hoskin-Elliott (hand).

UMPIRES: Stevic, Nicholls, Broadbent, Gianfagna

VENUE: Marvel Stadium

PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTES

3 Nick Daicos (Coll)

2 Isaac Quaynor (Coll)

1 Cody Weightman (WB)

Originally published as Deep dive: The rise and rise of Nick Daicos, how the Magpies nailed their recruiting and what’s next for Bailey Smith?