Premierships are hard to win. Back-to-back flags are even harder. To avoid being brought down, Collingwood need much more than luck, talent and strategy. They must evolve, innovate and adapt.
Nick Daicos has an AFL premiership medal after just 48 senior games. The Collingwood phenomenon will probably have a Brownlow Medal before he adds to his premiership collection. We all know which medal he would prefer.
But is Daicos willing to sacrifice his prolific individual statistics to make Collingwood a stronger premiership defender by changing how he plays?Magpies star Nick Daicos needs to make the shift forward.AFL premierships are hard to win. Back-to-back flags are even harder. Collingwood are no longer the hunters. The 2023 premiership leaves coach Craig McRae looking at opposition teams putting targets on his players’ backs – they are the measuring stick for 17 other teams. To avoid being brought down, they need much more than luck, talent and strategy. They must evolve, innovate and adapt. After a sobering 32-point loss to last year’s preliminary finalists, GWS, on Saturday, McRae didn’t mince his words in his post-game analysis, highlighting the need for continual improvement. “Coming into the game, we thought we’d improved, physically, and then you get here and you get reality is that everyone else is improving,” he said. So how can a team that wowed us with its electric game style, speed, composure in clutch moments and an unwavering belief in securing wins from seemingly insurmountable deficits get better and keep the chasing pack at bay?There is a compelling argument for unleashing Daicos’ magic by turning back the clock. Send him forward, reviving memories of his father Peter’s reign of terror on opposition defences during the ’90s. In Nick Daicos’ first two seasons at Collingwood, he has predominantly inflicted his damage across half-back and in the midfield. Last season, he played 41 per cent of game time in defence, 51 per cent in the midfield and just 8 per cent in attack. A breakdown of where he gathers his disposals shows that he gets 21 per cent in defensive 50, 39 per cent in the back half, 31 per cent in the forward half and only 9 per cent inside forward 50. On Saturday, Daicos played 100 per cent of his game time in the midfield. His numbers were impressive – 34 disposals and 10 clearances. He was clearly the Magpies’ best player – but they still lost. And the forward line, lacking a match winner, never looked threatening. For Collingwood to improve in 2024, Daicos needs to be that match winner and should split his positional time with 60 per cent forward and 40 per cent in the midfield. The change for the team would be significant.Part of any club’s pre-game planning is the question: what would the opposition least like us to do? It’s obvious opponents would much rather Daicos kicking the ball from full-back and getting the bulk of his possessions in the back half rather than streaming inside 50 looking for a target or kicking for goal on the run.With forward Dan McStay missing this season due to a knee injury there are questions as to how Collingwood will assemble an effective forward mix. Ash Johnson was given first opportunity as McStay’s replacement last week, but managed just two disposals. Ruck-forward Mason Cox was equally poor.Collingwood may be forced to go with a smaller, more dynamic forward line just as Richmond did in their 2017 premiership season. That year the Tigers had Jack Riewoldt as the only key forward and surrounded him with speedy, dangerous smalls. Collingwood could replicate that structure with Daicos, Jamie Elliott, recruit Lachie Schultz, Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, Beau McCreery – and Brody Mihocek as the sole key forward. It looks far more potent than what was wheeled out against the Giants. Richmond, where McRae worked as a coach in Damien Hardwick’s panel, are again the model for Collingwood to look at when deciding how best to play Daicos. In the Tigers’ 2017 premiership year, superstar Dustin Martin won the Norm Smith and Brownlow medals. The majority Martin’s possessions were in the forward half; he rarely roamed past the centre circle to the defensive half. He and the team knew he was wasted there. Martin saved his energy and unleashed maximum damage in attack. In that record-breaking season Martin kicked 37 goals and had 29 goal assists. He recorded an astounding 150 inside 50s.Daicos is not Martin, but he is good enough to replicate Martin’s 2017 numbers. He is capable of kicking 40-plus goals as a forward-midfielder.Fourth-year midfielder Finlay Macrae was overlooked at the selection table last week, but must be unleashed after an exceptional pre-season that had his coaches and teammates predicting the youngster to have a breakout season.Macrae, Jack Crisp, veteran Steele Sidebottom, McCreery, Tom Mitchell, Jordan De Goey and Scott Pendlebury could fill the void. As Collingwood embark on their quest for back-to-back premierships and a place alongside the best teams of the 2000s – Hawthorn, Geelong and Richmond – the strategic deployment of Daicos emerges as a pivotal factor in achieving this goal.Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.
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