The Daicos name is already Magpie royalty,forged by Nick’s legendary father Peter. Now with brother Josh,a star in his own right,by his side,Nick could be forgiven for having a public swagger,but it’s the second-year star’s humility that warms his teammates’ hearts.
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“He is extremely humble. He understands there is a lot of outside noise around him;the way he tries to internalise it a bit,comes back to what he is good at,trains hard,works hard,and gives back to others,” Howe said.
“He is a leader of the environment,especially for our young guys,they source him out,want to know what he is doing. He gives them the time and tells them pretty much how to be a professional athlete because he is certainly at the top of that.”
However,as coach Craig McRae has noted,the Magpies need to keep a close eye on Daicos and his training loads. The Pies know too much of a good thing can hurt a young player.
“We have,with Nick,an ability to manage him during the week. We understand he is in his second year and playing high minutes,and now he is in the midfield. We look after him through the week,” McRae said.
Daicos,now leading the AFL Coaches Association award,was the Rising Star winner in his rookie season because of his dash,play-making and poise at half-back. He has now taken those attributes,not to mention his deft kicking skills,into the midfield and the forward half,making the transition seamlessly.
This has given the Magpies a one-two punch of Daicos and fellow star Jordan De Goey through the midfield. In only their second game together as midfield mates on Saturday,De Goey had 26 disposals,and their partnership looks like one that will excite Magpies fans for years to come.
“We will start that way in some games,and then other games might need something different,” McRae said when asked if Daicos and De Goey would continue to start in the midfield.
“Right now,it’s a nice weapon to have.”
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After accounting for the Dockers with relative ease,the Pies now face their toughest test of the season against second-placed Port. The Power’s club record13-game winning streak ended against Carlton on Saturday,but that result came after coach Ken Hinkley made a surprising seven selection changes. Gun forward Charlie Dixon (ankle) is expected back this week,but emerging midfielder Jason Horne-Francis (sore back) will need to prove his fitness.
The Magpies face a selection squeeze,with leading goal-kicker Brody Mihocek pushing to return from a two-week absence (hamstring tightness),while frontline ruckman Darcy Cameron (back tightness) is expected to pass a fitness test.