{"id":293417,"date":"2023-09-21T21:20:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T21:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=293417"},"modified":"2023-09-21T21:20:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T21:20:35","slug":"the-daicos-difference-a-special-report-into-the-pie-prodigy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-league\/the-daicos-difference-a-special-report-into-the-pie-prodigy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Daicos difference: A special report into the Pie prodigy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Jake Niall<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Collingwood star Nick Daicos.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

Scott Pendlebury couldn\u2019t nominate another he\u2019d played alongside who possessed the innate on-field intelligence of Nick Daicos.<\/p>\n

\u201cFooty IQ and skill,\u201d said Pendlebury, in response to the question of what separated the younger Daicos brother from the herd.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got some of the best skill I\u2019ve ever played, with the footy IQ is off the charts … probably the best footy IQ I\u2019ve played with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pendlebury paused, lending weight to his addendum. \u201cAs a second year guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Daicos is a player of his time and ahead of his time. At 20, he is already one of the game\u2019s most damaging and valuable players. His productivity is unprecedented for a player of his vintage over the past two decades \u2013 the precocious Chris Judd and Joel Selwood included.<\/p>\n

The question that Nick Daicos\u2019 second season invites isn\u2019t his ranking in the AFL today, nor what he might achieve in future, nor even whether he can perform at a sufficient level, after seven weeks\u2019 absence, to drag Collingwood over the line against the Giants.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nick Daicos.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Stephen Kiprillis\/The Age<\/cite><\/p>\n

It\u2019s why this second-gen generational player is on a higher plane than any 20-year-old we\u2019ve seen since the draft system took hold in the 1990s. So, what are the factors \u2013 upbringing, temperament or particular gifts \u2013 that set him apart?<\/p>\n

Elite sporting performers usually have traits that are either very rare or have a combination of abilities that form a combination that is near enough to unique.<\/p>\n

Wayne Carey could take astounding pack marks and<\/em> pick up the footy at his feet, plus kick well with both feet. Carey had balance, spring, speed, strength, courage and skill.<\/p>\n

Judd had acceleration, a devastating sidestep and outstanding awareness. He was, as with so many ground-level greats, hard to tackle.<\/p>\n

Lance Franklin had stunning agility, speed and skills \u2013 evasive and by foot \u2013 for a 199-centimetre, 106-kilogram key forward. He could run further and faster than men of his dimensions.<\/p>\n

What does Nick Daicos do, aside from getting the ball often and using it with lethal effect?<\/p>\n

Different level: the Daicos traits
<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For those who\u2019ve watched him closely, within Collingwood, other clubs and his family, it is plain that he makes decisions \u2013 and executes them \u2013 faster than other players.<\/p>\n

No contemporary is better placed to assess how Nick Daicos makes quick decisions and moves the ball to a teammate quickly \u2013 speeding up the play, almost \u2013 than his (also) formidably skilled older brother, Josh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019d be pretty accurate,\u201d Josh Daicos said of his brother\u2019s rapid decisions and disposals. \u201cHe loves to go at the game and he does, almost at times seem like he\u2019s moving really fast and even ball in hand, like some of the stuff he does, his decision-making.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exhibit A: Anzac Day, second quarter. Nick Daicos has marked, halfway between the boundary line and the centre square, 60-65 metres from goal. Bomber Nic Martin contacts him gently as he marks. Daicos falls to ground.<\/p>\n

In his call for Seven, Brian Taylor says Daicos \u201ctries to milk the 50 (metre penalty).\u201d But he\u2019s on the turf for barely a couple of seconds, before he bounces up, moves immediately on to his left side and kicks a low 25-metre pass \u2013 weighted perfectly to Pendlebury in space. The ball is kicked over a couple of Essendon defenders.<\/p>\n

It happens so fast, the Bombers don\u2019t have time to station more numbers back.<\/p>\n

A \u201cnormal\u201d player wouldn\u2019t have a) the skill to execute that left-foot kick, b) the confidence to do it, or c) be able to do so in the time frame that Daicos had to spot Pendlebury in space.. Pendlebury goaled, incidentally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people say they see the game before it happens, that\u2019s Nick,\u201d said Pendlebury, who has comparable vision. \u201cLike he\u2019ll get it and he\u2019ll already know where his exits are.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nick Daicos and Scott Pendlebury after the Magpies\u2019 Round 8 win over the Swans at the MCG.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n

Pendlebury said there was a game earlier this year when commentators criticised passages in which Daicos allegedly \u201cdidn\u2019t go as hard as should.\u201d Pendlebury\u2019s explanation? \u201cHe was actually already thinking like \u2018get this, give that, avoid that.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he forgot to get (the ball) first. That was the only mistake he did, he just took his eye off the ball because he was already thinking about releasing someone. That\u2019s why he\u2019s such a weapon, inside or outside, he\u2019s going to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pendlebury, 35 and still an architect with the footy, has had memorable exchanges of handballs with Nick. \u201cOften it\u2019s he gives to me, I\u2019ll give it back. He\u2019s so much quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standout sportspeople in ball sports \u2013 team or individual \u2013 possess three qualities that the merely good don\u2019t have, according to the AFL\u2019s innovation manager and umpiring coach Damian Farrow and his former colleague, Tennis Australia\u2019s head of innovation Machar Reid.<\/p>\n

These essential three traits \u2013 which Daicos owns, like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal \u2013 are as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cInside or outside, he\u2019s going to kill you\u201d<\/p>\n

1. The necessary physical gifts, such as speed or strength\/agility, to perform at a high level. There is broad agreement that Daicos had good speed and exceptional agility.<\/p>\n

2. Technical mastery of skills, to the point that \u201cyour technique can withstand large amounts of pressure,\u201d as Reid put it. Daicos\u2019 skills, as Farrow noted, are exceptional \u2013 one touch, kicking either foot, and handball.<\/p>\n

3. Outstanding decision-making. \u201cYou\u2019re able to make decisions quickly and well and that allows you take advantage of the space like others can\u2019t,\u201d said Reid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt requires a blend of those three things at a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Daicos has delivered a stunning second season at the top level.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n

Daicos\u2019s gifts in reading the game and distributing the ball are similar to ex-Hawthorn champion and current coach Sam Mitchell, who was also dual-sided by foot and hand and could exit stoppages in different directions.<\/p>\n

The difference is that Daicos also has leg speed and possibly even better lateral movement. \u201cPhysically he\u2019s a step above Sam Mitchell,\u201d said Reid.<\/p>\n

His relative weakness is lack of size (184 cm, 80 kilograms) compared with the powerful midfield beasts, such as Marcus Bontempelli and Christian Petracca, and, as with many greats, he is less versed in defensive actions.<\/p>\n

In the game of the father \u2013 the footy family<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kevin Sheehan, the AFL\u2019s perennial talent manager\/draft pathways expert, saw the pre-AFL versions of Carey, Judd, Franklin, Joel Selwood, Luke Hodge and just about every champion of the past 30 years. All of them had talents that marked them as special, Franklin booting eight for WA in an under 18 trial game \u2013 in a half, while Sheehan witnessed Carey taking pack marks that others couldn\u2019t in the national under-17s for Victoria in 1988.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Meet the Daicoses: Peter, Maddie, Nick, Josh and Colleen after Nick was drafted in 2021.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n

Sheehan saw Nick Daicos dazzling for Carey Grammar in the same team as Gold Coast guns Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, despite being two draft years behind that duo. \u201cHe was completely unfazed by the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The period from ages six to 12 represent what Sheehan called \u201cthe golden years\u201d for skill development in footy (and other sports). As the son of one of the code\u2019s most skilful players seen, Peter Daicos, Nick and his brother Josh were given a head-start that, when combined with the genes of both parents, created a pair of excellent footballers.<\/p>\n

Peter Daicos marinated his sons in the skills of the game, rather than emphasising fitness. Crucially, \u201cthe Macedonian Marvel\u201d made the skills training fun, would use full-sized balls for his boys and get them to use a wet ball, furthering their touch and techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn under-10s when you have a size three ball, we\u2019d always train with a full-size ball,\u201d Josh Daicos said of his father\u2019s skills regime. \u201cUsing bigger balls. yeah, wet balls at times, everything like that. We just had fun with it and Dad just had different ways he thought helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh reckoned his mother Colleen\u2019s influence was undersold. \u201cMum at times was the harder one on us … Dad was almost the relaxed one. So it was interesting. But she\u2019s been amazing, whether it was like all mums taking us to football training, the food, you know always looking after us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh felt Nick also benefitted from having an older brother at Collingwood. \u201cNick\u2019s really mature and he\u2019s spent a lot of time around the club, even before he was drafted … seeing me go through it really helped Nick. So I think he got the advantage of almost a head start compared to other 18-year-old draftees fresh into the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh said the family had all contributed. \u201cBut at the end of the day, it\u2019s the kind of person Nick is. He\u2019s pretty humble and he really just loves getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh said he and Nick gained inspiration from their father\u2019s highlight reel. \u201cEarly in the day we\u2019ll sometimes flick on YouTube and watch highlights of players and dad\u2019s always seems to get Nick and I pumped before a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the ball<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Teammates marvel at Nick Daicos\u2019 relentless approach. Whereas his freakish father played in only a quasi-professional era, young Nick has been raised in a time in which the most talented kids were hot-housed and trained in the elite system; in this Daicos resembles Gary Ablett jnr, who also followed an outlier father with astounding gifts.<\/p>\n

Brayden Maynard felt confidence was the Daicos calling card. \u201cIt\u2019s not arrogance. He\u2019s someone who wants to get the most out of himself every day, like he\u2019s an absolute freak of nature … his confidence and the way he handles himself is the best I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Brayden Maynard.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n

Will Hoskin-Elliott told this masthead\u2019s Peter Ryan that Nick usually brings at least one footy to team meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t stop. That is probably the biggest one (difference). He will come straight off the training track and be straight on to the sprung floor with the footy already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Daicos is always on the move. And while Hawthorn\u2019s hardball tagger merchant Finn Maginness is among the few opponents who\u2019ve curtailed his influence, he\u2019s not easily stopped, either.<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Most Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n

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