Collingwood Overhauls Best and Fairest Voting System After Controversial 2025 Result
Collingwood Football Club has implemented significant changes to its best and fairest voting system in response to the contentious 2025 Copeland Trophy count. In that event, superstar midfielder Nick Daicos surprisingly finished as runner-up to teammate Darcy Cameron, sparking widespread debate among fans and analysts.
McRae's Comments and the Aftermath
Magpies coach Craig McRae inadvertently fueled the controversy last year with a lighthearted remark at the club's best and fairest night. He joked that Daicos, who placed second in the Brownlow Medal behind Gold Coast's Matt Rowell, needed "a few more 16-disposal games" to win the award in the future. This quip referenced Rowell's Brownlow wins in games where he had 17 and 16 disposals, performances considered below his usual standard. Rowell ultimately secured the Brownlow with 39 votes, seven ahead of Daicos's 32.
However, McRae's comments backfired dramatically just hours later when Daicos failed to clinch the Copeland Trophy, finishing 13 votes behind Cameron. This outcome highlighted perceived flaws in the voting methodology, prompting internal reviews.
System Restructure Following Daicos's Dominant Display
Speaking after Collingwood's 12-point victory over St Kilda on Sunday night, where Daicos delivered a best-on-ground performance with 41 disposals, McRae confirmed the voting system has been restructured. "We changed the system, we did," he laughed. "The system was needing to be changed to reward the extreme games. He had an extreme game tonight, didn't he? Forty-odd touches."
McRae praised Daicos's maturation and work ethic, noting, "I think Nick's just maturing so much in front of our eyes. He trains harder than anyone else. Same with Josh (Daicos), like Josh had an amazing game." He emphasized the club's strategy to optimize player performance, adding, "We want to have a gameplan that brings the best out in our players, and Josh and Nick are certainly players that we just want to give the ball to."
St Kilda's Strategy and Daicos's Unchecked Influence
During the match, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon opted not to heavily tag Daicos, allowing him to roam freely except for a brief period when Hugo Garcia attempted to curb his impact. Reflecting on the decision, Lyon said, "Should we attack Daicos? We try and display a bit more system. Maybe, yeah, in hindsight - he had 41. But momentum, it's interesting - we did send someone to him for a little bit."
Lyon attributed the loss more to overall inefficiency rather than Daicos's freedom, stating, "I don't think that's why, whether it be Nas or Daicos, why they got the points and we didn't. I thought it was more the overall letting them off ... we were inefficient. They took their chances and we didn't."
Collingwood's Tactical Approach to Wanganeen-Milera
In contrast, Collingwood executed a clear plan to limit St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, the AFL's first player on a $2 million-a-year contract. Harry Perryman was assigned a tight tagging role, restricting Wanganeen-Milera to just 19 disposals and one goal. McRae credited the leadership group for initiating this strategy, saying, "The leadership group really pushed it - I'm not taking ownership for that. The leaders really wanted to set a bit of a target and go after him."
He shared Perryman's enthusiasm for the task, noting, "I went to Pez, and I won't share exactly what he said, but he was pretty excited about doing the job." McRae highlighted the collective effort required in effective tagging, explaining, "What maybe you do or don't understand in our game is, if you tag, it becomes a whole system that your whole team needs to be involved in. Because he (Wanganeen-Milera) played forward, he played back, he played mid - and so you need to evolve."
He expressed pride in the team's support for Perryman, adding, "We wanted Pez to go all the way but that's chemistry ... and all those layers, and I'm proud of the group to support Pez in getting that job done." McRae acknowledged Wanganeen-Milera's talent, predicting, "He is an outstanding player, that young man. And I don't think we will be the first or the last to tag him."
This strategic shift and voting system overhaul underscore Collingwood's adaptive approach as they aim to maximize player contributions and address past controversies in the AFL landscape.
