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Nick Daicos injured as resurgent Hawks make it a dirty night for Collingwood

By Jon Pierik

Updated August 5, 2023 — 7.00pm

Collingwood’s young superstar Nick Daicos will have knee scans while the Magpies fear key defender Nathan Murphy has a syndesmosis ankle injury, as they counted the cost of their shock 32-point loss to Hawthorn.

Hawthorn made it their mission to go after Daicos, and it formed the plank of their stunning win over a suddenly slumping Collingwood at the MCG.

Rugged night: Nick Daicos collided with James Blanck and was hurt after this third term incident.Credit: Getty Images

The Magpies are smarting after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, although they still hold top spot on the ladder. But Carlton, and now the Hawks, with only their sixth win of the year, have shown how to tame the Magpies by curbing their run through the centre corridor.

Adding to their worries ahead of a six-day break before facing Geelong, the Magpies had several injury worries, including Brownlow Medal favourite Daicos, who finished on the bench with his right knee elevated. However, Tom Mitchell has been cleared of any problem, despite appearing to have a thigh issue.

“There is more than the four points lost here today. There are a couple of players who will be chasing the clock to get up,” Collingwood coach Craig McRae said after the defeat.

“Nathan Murphy looks like he might have a syndesmosis, he will have that scanned, appearing on the low end, if that’s actually what it is, and Nick got a knock to the knee, which we will see if it’s deeper than a knock.”

Murphy’s injury means he may not be back until September, but McRae wouldn’t comment directly on that.

On an evening full of emotion, Daicos, fresh after signing a six-year contract, was held to a season-low five disposals, having averaged a competition-high 32.

He was worked over physically by the Hawks. Daicos could have been forgiven for thinking Finn Maginness was his own shadow, such was the manner in which the master tagger had eyes for no one else.

Daicos, with only three touches to half-time, was sent to full-forward in the third term, but Maginness went with him.

He was in the thick of the action again after Daniel McStay marked and snapped, sparking a scuffle, with Daicos the victim of a jumper punch.

He was immediately handed a free kick, before the ball had been returned to the centre square, and snapped truly from the pocket. If that wasn’t enough, he left the field soon after for treatment, but returned to full-forward.

“It’s not about Nick, but I think we all learnt a lot about ourselves,” McRae said. “The tag was what we expected, Nick gets a bit of a knock, it’s harder for him to run off as much, so we put him deep, it didn’t quite work.”

“In the end you go, we are actually tying ourselves in knots here trying to find a place for Nick when it actually is disconnecting other parts of our game. So, in the end, we just went with what we knew, back to a bit of a normal system.”

Walking wounded: Tom Mitchell, Nick Daicos and Nathan Murphy on the bench.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images

In an enthralling third term, with several momentum swings, 10 goals were booted, six by the Hawks, giving them a 26-point buffer at the final change. When the Hawks booted the opening two goals of the final term, they had the upset of the season in their grasp - regardless of the Magpies’ reputation for conjuring comebacks.

Hawks key forward Mitch Lewis was a pillar, while skipper James Sicily was the best afield. He was allowed to play largely as a loose man, and finished with 37 touches and 19 marks.

“We have been looking forward to this, a challenge against the best. We want to get used to this ... awesome win,” Sicily said.

The robust Jai Newcombe, Conor Nash, James Worpel and an inspired Chad Wingard found plenty of the ball. Ned Reeves was excellent in the ruck, while the Hawks’ drive from half-back was pivotal.

Magpies Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey and Jack Crisp were busy, but skipper Darcy Moore was unusually ineffective. Josh Daicos, also with a fresh six-year deal, had little impact. Fellow defender Jeremy Howe was moved to the wing in the final term, coming after Mitchell was again subbed off, although he had a corked thigh. A rejigged forward line without the dumper Mason Cox lacked its typical buzz, while the Magpies were smashed at centre bounces.

James Sicily was in brilliant touch against the Magpies on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

Man on a mission

The Hawks’ intentions were obvious early. Maginness went to Crisp at the opening centre bounce, but soon found himself on the man everyone had expected him to go to – Nick Daicos. Maginness had eyes only for Daicos, eschewing chances to win his own ball and even tackle another Magpie if it meant deciding either to do that or stick on Daicos.

It worked a treat in the first term, with Daicos held to only two touches. Brisbane Lions triple premiership great Chris Johnson, in the Triple M commentary, called for the Magpies to get physical to support Daicos, but it didn’t eventuate.

Fit the blazer

Jamie Elliott’s love affair with the boundary line at the MCG was on show again, this time with a brilliant running goal from wide on the right half-forward line in the second term. This came amid a rush of goals from the Magpies, as they responded to a poor first term.

Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott boots a delightful goal on the run.Credit: Fox Footy

Lessons learned

The Hawks’ horrible first term against St Kilda last weekend was well documented. This time there was no need for a Sam Mitchell spray, as the Hawks began with intensity. Sicily set the tone, when his short pass found a teammate on the wing. He ran on, accepted the handball, weaved through two defenders, and found Dylan Moore with a 50-metre pass. Moore converted.

New boy on the block

Taken in the AFL mid-season rookie draft, gangly Hawthorn forward Brandon Ryan made his senior debut against the Saints, and retained his spot on Saturday. He was in the thick of the action in the second term when he won a free kick after a Murphy round-arm, and added two in the third quarter, including a crucial snap late in the term.

HAWTHORN
4.2 6.4 12.7 16.9 (105)
COLLINGWOOD
0.3 4.5 8.5 11.7 (73)
GOALS - Hawthorn: Ryan 3, Breust 3, Moore 2, Lewis 2, Morrison 2, Weddle, Koschitzke, Reeves, Newcombe. Collingwood: Elliott 3, McStay 2, De Goey 2, McCreery, Daicos, Hill, Pendlebury.
BEST – Collingwood: Crisp, Pendlebury, De Goey, Quaynor. Hawthorn: Sicily, Day, Lewis, Newcombe, Moore, Nash.
UMPIRES: Johanson, Toner, Wallace, Fisher.
CROWD 62,134 at the MCG.