Collingwood faced a major setback when their star midfielder, Nick Daicos, withdrew from the game against the Brisbane Lions just 15 minutes before the match began on Thursday night. The decision to fly Daicos to Brisbane was met with confusion, especially after the club’s controversial move last week to leave skipper Darcy Moore on the ground despite showing clear signs of a hamstring injury.
Moore was later ruled out for three to four weeks, but the situation with Daicos raised even more questions. Collingwood coach Craig McRae confirmed that Daicos had made the trip to Brisbane with the intention of playing. “He had a corkie in his calf,” McRae said. “On Tuesday at training, he wanted to get moving, that was the intention. He didn’t train and was hobbling around.”
Despite the team’s efforts to help Daicos improve, it became clear that he wasn’t ready. During the pre-game warm-up, Daicos looked visibly uncomfortable, with his right calf heavily strapped and his movement restricted. “If he was a horse, you wouldn’t back him, would you?” McRae quipped during a pre-game interview.
Daicos’ withdrawal came as a blow to Collingwood, who struggled to match the Lions’ intensity in a 54-point loss. The final score read 17.17 (119) to 10.5 (65), and McRae admitted the team was outplayed. “Honestly, I felt like we got outplayed for most of the night,” he said. “The stoppages really got away from us. When you lose territory against this team, it makes it really difficult.”
McRae insisted that the late change wouldn’t affect the team’s performance, and he brought in emergency player Ed Allan to replace Daicos. “Things that happen before the game shouldn’t really affect the first contest or our stoppage structure,” he said. However, he acknowledged that losing a key player like Daicos would always have an impact.
Despite the setback, McRae remained optimistic about Daicos’ recovery. “We are hoping it improves,” he said. “We do have three days off. We’re back in [at the club] on Monday.” He also mentioned that club great Scott Pendlebury is expected to play against Fremantle next week, following a rehab session.
Meanwhile, winger Steele Sidebottom suffered a heavy knock to the ribs during a tackle from Brisbane’s Keidan Coleman. He left the field just before half-time but returned in the second half. “He’s a tough bugger,” McRae said. “It was a really good hit, and it was sort of symbolic of a bit of our night that we didn’t play with good method at times.”
For the Brisbane Lions, the night was a celebration. Will Ashcroft stepped up as the match-winning midfielder, recording 36 disposals and a stunning left-foot goal from the boundary. His performance saw him surpass former skipper Lachie Neale as the team’s top onballer.
Coach Chris Fagan said the late withdrawal of Daicos didn’t change their strategy. “We made a decision after what happened last week [against St Kilda] just to back our midfield in,” he said. “We were going to try and quell Daicos’ influence at stoppage.”
The Lions will be further strengthened by the return of premiership skipper Harris Andrews from suspension next week.
Key points:
– Craig McRae admitted Nick Daicos had a ‘corkie’ before the Lions clash.
– Steele Sidebottom copped a crunching hit during the game.
– With Daicos sidelined, Will Ashcroft’s star shone even brighter in prime time.
