Collingwood Magpies Tame North Melbourne Kangaroos with Nick Daicos’ Impressive Tagging Display In a highly anticipated clash at the MCG, the Collingwood Magpies emerged victorious over the North Melbourne Kangaroos, with a resolute performance led by the exceptional Nick Daicos. Daicos, the highly touted son of Collingwood legend Peter Daicos, played a pivotal role, nullifying the influence of Kangaroos’ star Luke Davies-Uniacke. Daicos’ impeccable tagging skills shadowed Davies-Uniacke throughout the match, restricting his impact on the contest. The Kangaroos struggled to find their rhythm, as Daicos’ relentless pressure prevented Davies-Uniacke from receiving the ball cleanly. Alastair Clarkson’s Post-Match Press Conference North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson expressed his admiration for Daicos’ performance, acknowledging the youngster’s exceptional talent. “Nick Daicos was outstanding today,” Clarkson said. “He completely shut down Davies-Uniacke, who is one of our key players. I’m extremely impressed with his ability.” Clarkson also praised the overall performance of the Magpies, highlighting their suffocating defensive pressure and slick ball movement. Will Phillips the Unsung Hero Another standout for Collingwood was Will Phillips, who came off the bench as a substitute in the second half. Phillips provided invaluable energy and run, helping to extend the Magpies’ lead. His ability to win contested possessions and provide a link between the midfield and forward line proved crucial in Collingwood’s victory. First Crack Trade Rumours Intensify The match has also fueled speculation regarding Collingwood’s interest in North Melbourne’s Jason Horne-Francis. With both Horne-Francis and Daicos impressing on the field, fans are eagerly anticipating a potential trade deal. However, Clarkson refused to comment on the rumours, stating that his focus was solely on preparing his team for the upcoming matches. Conclusion The Magpies’ victory over the Kangaroos was a testament to their depth of talent and tactical acumen. Nick Daicos’ mesmerizing tagging display showcased his immense potential, while the emergence of Will Phillips provided further evidence of Collingwood’s promising future. As speculation regarding a potential trade for Jason Horne-Francis continues to swirl, the Magpies are poised to make a significant impact on the AFL in the years to come.North Melbourne might regret their decision to release young Will Phillips, Fox Footy’s Leigh Montagna believes, after the Roos staged the seventh-biggest comeback in AFL history on Sunday.
North Melbourne might regret their decision to release young Will Phillips, Fox Footy’s Leigh Montagna believes, after the Roos staged the seventh-biggest comeback in AFL history on Sunday. Phillips had been tasked with tagging Magpies star Nick Daicos — and restricted the youngster to 19 disposals at three-quarter time before coach Alastair Clarkson made the call with his side 31 points up. With Phillips tactically taken out of the match, Daicos tore apart new opponent Liam Shiels to “complete the difference” between the two sides in Collingwood’s thrilling one-point win. “They lost this one in the coaching box with the decision to take Will Phillips off at three-quarter time after he had done the tagging work on Nick Daicos and done really well for three quarters,” Montagna said on Fox Footy’s *First crack*. “They wanted to get Jaidyn Stephenson involved. They took this kid (Phillips) out and I think it had a huge impact on this game. “We know that coaches live and die by the decisions they make – and sometimes they get it wrong. “I think they will look back and regret this decision.” Clarkson was asked to explain the tactical decision during his post-match press conference and admitted he had taken a “punt” with the sub move. “We had the freshness of the submarine and Wil was starting to get a little tired,” he said. “But yeah, if you don’t win, you sit there and say, ‘Oh boy, was that crucial?’ I don’t think that was crucial to the end result, but we just wanted to use the freshness of our sub. “We just thought the fresh legs would help us in the last part of the race.” Montagna said he understood the decision to put on Stephenson’s fresh legs, but not at Phillips’ expense. “They had two rucks. They had Toby Pink. They had Kallan Dawson and Aidan Corr in defense – they had a lot of other options if they wanted to get more into the game in the last quarter,” he said. “But Will Phillips went out and suddenly they put Liam Shiels on Nick Daicos and he stepped up when the game needed to be won. (Daicos’) fourth quarter as incredible. His will to win, his work rate and his intensity just stood out: they couldn’t contain him. “(Shiels) just didn’t have the leg speed to go with him. ‘Daicos put them to the sword. “We know Will Phillips has that competitiveness and he has that character where I think even if he was tired he could have gotten the job done.” In the last quarter alone, Daicos had ten touches compared to Shiels’ two, five contested possessions to two and three goals to nil. ‘He ran wild. I think they’ll look back and think we probably made the wrong decision there,” Montagna said. “He was the difference in the fourth quarter.” Phillips’ future at North Melbourne remains up in the air, with the former pick 3 reportedly assessing his options after competing in the VFL before being called up for the showdown with Collingwood.
Collingwood came from behind to defeat North Melbourne by 20 points in a thrilling encounter at the MCG on Saturday. The Magpies trailed by 19 points at half-time, but kicked six goals to two in the third quarter to take the lead. North Melbourne fought back in the final quarter, but Collingwood held on to win 13.12 (90) to 11.8 (74). Nick Daicos was outstanding for the Magpies with 25 disposals and two goals. Jack Crisp and Jack Ginnivan also played well with 23 and 22 disposals respectively. For North Melbourne, Luke Davies-Uniacke was the standout with 31 disposals and a goal. Ben Cunnington also impressed with 19 disposals and seven tackles. In his post-match press conference, Collingwood coach Alastair Clarkson praised his team’s resilience. “We were really disappointed with our first half, but we showed great character to come back in the second half and win the game,” Clarkson said. “Nick Daicos was outstanding for us today. He’s a special player and he’s going to have a huge future at this football club.” North Melbourne coach David Noble was disappointed with the result, but said he was proud of his team’s effort. “We played really well in the first half, but we just couldn’t maintain it in the second half,” Noble said. “But I’m proud of the way our players fought back in the last quarter. We’re going to learn from this experience and we’ll come back stronger next week.” In other news, Will Phillips has been ruled out of Collingwood’s match against Essendon next week with a hamstring injury. The Magpies have called up Finlay Macrae as his replacement. Collingwood have also been linked to a trade for Sydney’s Tom Papley. The Magpies are reportedly willing to offer pick 15 for the forward. The First Crack will be held on Monday, October 3. The event will see the top 10 draft prospects from around the country come together for a series of games and drills.
