
One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act
If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will.
Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller.
But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG.
"It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings.
"Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on.
"Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him.
"He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be.
"Right now everyone's seeing that."
Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half.
Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick.
Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well.
"I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said.
"They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours."
The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half.
McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest.
"There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said.
Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser.
The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.
If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will.
Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller.
But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG.
"It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings.
"Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on.
"Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him.
"He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be.
"Right now everyone's seeing that."
Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half.
Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick.
Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well.
"I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said.
"They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours."
The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half.
McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest.
"There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said.
Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser.
The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.
If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will.
Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller.
But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG.
"It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings.
"Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on.
"Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him.
"He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be.
"Right now everyone's seeing that."
Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half.
Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick.
Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well.
"I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said.
"They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours."
The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half.
McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest.
"There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said.
Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser.
The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘We'll fight for him'- McRae on Daicos
AFL: Collingwood Magpies coach Craig McRae spoke to the media following their round 15 victory against the St Kilda Saints.

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Latrell Mitchell robbed of special moment in Golden Point chaos
The record that was never supposed to be broken now looks set to fall this season after try-scoring machine Alex Johnston scored four tries to move within six tries of Ken Irvine's legendary haul, but it wasn't enough as Ryan Papenhuyzen nailed a golden point field goal to sink South Sydney. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > A week after they were forced off by lightning and heavy rain, the Rabbitohs held their own against a very different Storm side but fell short of a famous win as Papenhuyzen drilled a shot from 15 metres out to seal a thrilling 25-24 win. But the story is Johnston who is now up to 206 tries and needs just seven more tries to go past Irvine after he scored once in the first half and twice in the space of two minutes after the break as he tormented Melbourne's right edge defence. His 16th hat-trick – and 56th multi-try game – continued his astounding record, with Johnston's first three tries all coming off Latrell Mitchell passes. The Storm hit back to take the lead through Grant Anderson, but it lasted less than a minute as the veteran winger picked off a Jahrome Hughes pass to become the first player ever to score four tries against the Storm in a game. Given his incredible strike rate, there's every chance Johnston will break the long-standing record in the coming weeks which will trigger incredible scenes wherever it takes place. GOLDEN MOMENT The Storm had their hearts broken in golden point at Magic Round, but they flipped the script on Saturday with Papenhuyzen nailing the moment after his first shot was charged down 30 seconds earlier. Melbourne's fullback has been ice cool in the past and was at his clinical best after he saw rival Latrell Mitchell miss his 46-metre attempt in the final seconds of regulation time. It sealed a crucial win for the Storm who move into third spot without any byes to come for the rest of the season. SUA SIZZLES Souths looked certain to steamroll the Storm in the final 20 minutes until a moment of magic from livewire winger Sua Fa'alogo saved the visitors. Melbourne got off to a flying start when skipper Harry Grant waltzed through some flimsy marker defence to open the scoring, and they doubled their advantage from the next set when Grant Anderson put in a banana kick for Jahrome Hughes. But then they fell into their old ways that have plagued them for much of the season as they produced eight first-half errors to invite Souths back into the contest. Their attack fell flat until Fa'alogo sparked them into life when he caught a towering bomb on his own 20 and broke through to set up Tyran Wishart to put Melbourne back in front. Another error from the kick-off summed up their night, with Papenhuyzen producing a magical play from a 20-metre restart to find touch, only for the full-time siren to beat them before they could pack the scrum. SOUTHS FIGHT ON The Rabbitohs could drop to second last on the ladder at the end of the round, but they lost no admirers after this one. It's been a tough run for the Bunnies against the top four teams, but they are showing plenty of fight even though Wayne Bennett suffered his 15th loss in a row against Craig Bellamy. Mitchell is the man who can save their season after he set up four tries, including a stunning grubber for Tyrone Munro to score with four minutes remaining, only for his conversion attempt to sail wide.

News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Coach asks the big Nick Daicos question as rival violates players' code
North Melbourne great David King has sensationally suggested St Kilda's Marcus Windhager violated the players' code during his tagging of Nick Daicos on Saturday night. The Collingwood superstar shook off a determined tag and tore the Saints apart in the Magpies' 16.12 (108) to 11.8 (74) win at Marvel Stadium. Footy pundits across the industry questioned if Windhager's niggling tactics crossed the line, but the situation took another turn after the game with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon asking the million dollar question about how umpires treat the Brownlow medal-fancy. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The success of Melbourne's Ed Langdon last round understandably prompted the Saints to send proven stopper Windhager to Daicos' side right from the first bounce. But Daicos was up to the challenge, kicking into gear physically and aerobically to ensure the Magpies went six points clear on top of the ladder. He was kept under wraps in the first quarter but broke through in style during strong second, third and fourth quarters. Daicos was crucial in Collingwood's third quarter burst – which collected three goals in two minutes – before hitting the scoreboard himself with only an inch of space in the last. You can watch the cheap shots and knee incident in the video player above He finished with 30 disposals, five clearances, nine inside 50s, nine score involvements and a goal. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Lyon questioned whether Daicos is umpired differently to others after two early free kicks went the Collingwood star's way. Lyon saw both players 'have their moments' but was confused with some of the decisions judged against Windhager. 'Daicos had a fair bit of ball, a few entries, he moved around (and) I think we handled that,' Lyon said. 'We'll probably go early and look at some of those free kicks, I am not sure they're free kicks but I think we'll take that in and ask the question. 'Are there two sets of rules going around? I am not sure, am I allowed to say that? 'I think he's (Daicos) a great player, we know that, a great young player – at the end they (Collingwood) get the points and go, 'It didn't work'. 'When we were even and come from 20 points down, it's looking good, we say, 'It's working'. I like the theatre of it … I think it's great for the game, isn't it?' It came after Collingwood coach Craig McRae shined a light on Windhager's looming Daicos assignment this week by questioning the 'value' of tagging. King said on Fox Footy after the game Windhager had gone too far, saying the Saints star's behaviour was 'against the code'. King's comments were made as Fox Footy showed clips of Daicos being pinched, pushed and smothered off the ball. It was the sight of Windhager kneeing Daicos to the back of his legs late in the game that angered King the most. 'I think Craig McRae would be frustrated,' King said. 'In the last few weeks he's put it to the media in an attempt I think to get the umpire department to wise up. This is the sort of stuff that's going on. Little knees to the hamstring. I think that's too far. 'These sorts of things. Taggers will do anything to get under your skin. There's a little whack here. Just little things that are a step too far.' King said he didn't like the treatment Daicos received at stoppages. 'The game owes these sorts of players some form protection,' he said. 'The umpires did take a stand early. They paid a free kick to a punch in the stomach 30 seconds into the game. I think perfect. Craig McRae's had a big win here. 'I still think our stars get held and contorted and twisted at stoppages.' The Magpies are now more than a game clear of reigning premier Brisbane with last-placed West Coast next week. Speaking after the game, McRae once again stressed the importance of protecting Daicos. 'I just said to Nick when he came off for the first break that we don't want him to fight the battles, we'll fight them for him,' he said. 'He didn't need to get caught up in the wrestle of that; the free kick against I am probably talking about. 'As a group, as a team, we want to look after him (and) we don't want him sitting there feeling like he's fighting his own battle. 'I feel like tonight as a collective, Nick's had 30 possessions, so you'd say his performance was pretty impactful and then the way we looked after Nick.'