Justin Longmuir, Senior Coach of the Dockers
Ahead of a Friday night clash with the Magpies at home, Dockers head coach Justin Longmuir has announced plans to curb the influence of Collingwood star Nick Daicos.
The 21-year-old has been instrumental in revitalising the Pies after a 0-3 start following their record-equalling 16th premiership in 2023. His permanent move to the midfield, amid injuries to Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell, has been key to their resurgence.
Daicos is averaging 31.5 possessions, 6.3 clearances, 4.1 tackles, and 7.3 score involvements in a career-best season, despite having only played 57 games to date.
In the past three weeks, Daicos has elevated his performance, becoming a dominant force in the midfield.
Coaches from Carlton, West Coast, and Adelaide have acknowledged Daicos’ outstanding form. His own coach, Craig McRae, has rewarded him with top votes in the AFL Coaches Association’s Champion Player Award, propelling him to third place alongside Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong.
Longmuir is determined not to repeat the mistakes of others, indicating the club is planning to put extra pressure on No.35.
“We’re still working through our strategy, but we can’t let him run around and rack up 40 possessions and dominate the game,” Longmuir said on Channel 7.
“We need to ensure we limit his influence, which we’re still working on.
“We’re also aware that other midfielders like Jack Crisp and Scott Pendlebury can be really damaging, so we need to balance our approach.”
Hayden Young is a likely candidate for the Daicos task, given his experience in similar roles. Last year, Young successfully restricted 2016 Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield to 16 possessions and three clearances while collecting 19 disposals and three clearances himself.
Former Collingwood defender James Aish, who moved to Western Australia at the end of 2020, has also been utilised in tagging roles and could be an asset in managing Daicos.
Longmuir also mentioned that ruckman Sean Darcy could be available to tackle the Darcy Cameron-Mason Cox combination if he completes training successfully this week.
“He’s getting closer,” Longmuir said.
“He passed a major test in today’s main training session. If he pulls up well tomorrow, he’ll be good to go for Friday.”
Meanwhile, Collingwood’s injury woes have deepened following their win over Adelaide, with Jordan De Goey (abdominal), Will Hoskin-Elliott (hamstring), and Reef McInnes (concussion) all out for Round 11.
This spate of injuries has paved the way for local talent Ed Allan to debut alongside former Big Bash League cricketer Wil Parker on Friday night.
McRae is also expected to bring back premiership forwards Beau McCreery and Brody Mihocek, providing a significant boost for the Magpies.
