2025 Player Focus Thread #3: Nick Daicos and Ned Long
Nick Daicos (35)
Contracted until: 2029 (restricted free agent)
Overview
A career-best year for Nick in 2024, something that seems to be the case in each successive season he plays. Nick was the most consistent Collingwood player in an overall inconsistent season for the club, and he further cemented himself as one of the best players in the league by breaking the previous record for Bronwlow votes (held by Dustin Martin) and finishing second with 38 votes. Daicos was our sole All Australian for 2024 but it was basically a formality by the end of the first third of the season. Unfortunately, it has been revealed that Nick is dealing with plantar fasciitis and has been since just before Christmas. He now finds himself on a modified training program and it remains to be seen how the injury and his recovery will progress.
Ned Long (44)
Contracted until: 2025 (unrestricted free agent)
Overview
The Pies drafted Long with pick 19 in the 2024 mid-season draft after having previously signed him to the VFL list at the start of the year. Unusually, Long chose to only nominate for a six-month contract instead of the typical 18-month contract. Delisted by Hawthorn at the end of 2023, it seemed like the club was keeping him close in the VFL as a potential mid-season recruitment given the uncertainties of our midfield. Long wound up playing seven AFL games in 2024, which included amassing a whopping 10 tackles in the R21 game against Richmond. Despite playing largely in the midfield, he often had limited game time and never reached more than 13 disposals. Long was one of the last players re-signed by the club at the end of 2024, and due to having previously been delisted he will remain an unrestricted free agent for the rest of his career.
Discussion points
- Do you think Daicos (and Cripps) had seasons in 2024 worthy of beating the Brownlow record? How did you compare Daicos' season to Cripps'?
- Daicos consistently finds new ways to improve his game each season. Given he's already reached a high bar, what improvement does he have left in his game?
- How concerned are you with the news that Daicos has plantar fasciitis? Have you had any personal experience with the injury?
- What were your thoughts on Long's impact once he returned to AFL level?
- Why do you think Long chose to only nominate initially for a six-month contract?
- Do you think the big-bodied inside mid remains a position of need for the club?