Nick Daicos Focuses on Forward Ambitions Amid AFL Awards Near Misses
Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos has shrugged off his recent string of close calls for individual AFL honours, instead setting his sights on spending more time in the goal-square this season. The dynamic midfielder, known for his elite ball use and running power, has faced a brutal run of second-place finishes in major awards, but remains undeterred and eager to expand his game.
A Run of Runner-Up Finishes
Daicos shone for Victoria in last Saturday's State of Origin victory over Western Australia, yet it was GWS defender Lachie Ash who claimed the EJ Whitten Medal as the best player on the ground. This adds to a growing list of near misses for Daicos, who was a shock runner-up to ruckman Darcy Cameron in Collingwood's 2023 best and fairest voting. He also finished second in the last two Brownlow Medal counts, after placing third in 2023.
Even in recent rankings, such as Kane Cornes' top-50 AFL players list, Daicos found himself in second place, this time behind Western Bulldogs big man Sam Darcy. This trend has sparked debate among fans and analysts about whether one of the game's most skilled players is being judged more harshly due to his high ability, or if he needs to do more on the field to secure top accolades.
Daicos' Motivated Mindset
In an interview with AAP, Daicos revealed that these setbacks do not faze him. "I find that I'm so focused on moving onto the next thing that it doesn't really faze me. That's not my focus," he said. "Of course, it's nice if they do come, but it definitely doesn't make me less motivated. If anything, it just adds fuel to the fire and I feel like I'm ready to go."
He emphasised that he does not feel hard-done by, acknowledging the strong competition. "Every award ... there have been multiple players who could have won. So I'm just one of those players in contention. Even just to be in contention is a huge honour for me and I just want to make sure I put my best foot forward every season."
Praise for Teammates and Forward Aspirations
Daicos was quick to praise Lachie Ash for his performance in the State of Origin match, describing it as a "great spectacle" played the right way. "Ashy had a great game, it probably could have gone to a number of players, it was such an even-spread team. On the night, Ashy was huge ... he also played on blokes like Kozzy Pickett and Shai Bolton, who are so dangerous. He did a great job."
Looking ahead, Daicos expressed a desire to enhance his forward craft this season. "I'd love to get my forward craft going, kick a few more goals — just add another string to the bow, try and play full forward," he said. "Marking will be one of those things I definitely will work on." When asked if he aims to emulate Richmond great Dustin Martin, who excelled both in attack and around the ball, Daicos humbly responded, "I dunno about Dusty's role - there's only one guy who can do that, and that's Dusty. I feel like there's heaps of improvement — I'm a real competitor, I think we all are. We know there are different levels to our game and still so much to evolve."
Confidence in Collingwood's Prospects
Despite predictions that Collingwood might struggle this season after reaching a preliminary final last year, Daicos remains bullish about their chances. Reflecting on their 2023 premiership win and strong performances, he noted, "Ultimately Brissy won it last year, so there's a lot of work that Collingwood and myself to do. It's a proven formula, in 2023, and even last year for the first half of the year we were going really strongly and you make it to a preliminary final. It's only minor tweaks that we need to make."
As Daicos prepares for the upcoming AFL season, his focus is clear: continue improving, embrace new challenges in the forward line, and let his on-field performances do the talking, regardless of award outcomes.
