Nick Daicos has missed out on another individual award having finished second to Darcy Cameron in Collingwood’s best and fairest votes after coach Craig McRae appeared to take a crack at the star’s second-place finish at the Brownlow Medal. Daicos made unwanted history having narrowly missed out on the Brownlow Medal for the third-straight year after Matt Rowell upset the pack to win his maiden award.
Rowell tallied an enormous amount of points early in the season, which divided fans, and for the second year running Daicos was beaten by a record number of votes. Despite the disappointment, Daicos handled it with class with Rowell celebrating the moment with family and friends.
Nick Daicos (pictured middle) has missed out on another award having finished second in Collingwood’s best and fairest after coach Craig McRae’s (pictured right) moment on stage backfired. (Images: Getty Images/@DavidZita1)
And Collingwood coach McRae saw the funny-side of the Brownlow awards night and opted to take a little dig at Daicos’ second-place finish due to some of the voting. “He came runner-up in the Brownlow Medal again. Maybe a few more 16 disposal games might get you there next year,” McRae said to the crowd. “That’s cheeky Fly coming out,” McRae added about the joke.
But it turned out Daicos would again miss out on the top award. Cameron took home Collingwood’s Copeland Best and Fairest award with 328 votes. Daicos was 13 points behind in second taking home the RT Rush award, while Isaac Quaynor rounded out the top three.
Jamie Elliot won the Bob Rose Award for the Magpies’ best during the AFL finals after a superb end to the season. But Daicos’ second-place finish is another blow to the star midfielder who has now missed out on the Brownlow and Copeland award in a stellar season.
Daicos entered both awards night as the favourite, but has walked away without the top accolade at both events. Daicos finished the season averaging 30 disposals, 16 kicks and more than six clearances per game.
But just like Rowell’s efforts, it’s hard to argue Cameron’s season didn’t deserve recognition. He finished with a career-high of 18 disposals, four clearances and three intercept marks per game. While some were stunned Daicos didn’t win the Copeland award for the second year running, it was McRae’s apparent joke at the Brownlow’s that had fans talking.
Nick Daicos second again at AFL awards night
Daicos’ second-place finish at the Brownlow Medal surprised the AFL community with many predicting him to finally get his hands on the medal. Tellingly, AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder made mention of Daicos when congratulating Rowell. “I speak on behalf of everyone in the room, congratulating Nick Daicos on another magnificent year, well done,” Goyder said.
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Arlette Amor pays tribute to Nick Daicos
Despite missing out on both awards, Daicos has remained humble throughout the process. And his partner Arlette Amor spoke glowingly of him before the Brownlow ceremony last month. “I really admire how hard Nick works and how he thrives under pressure,” she told The Herald Sun.
“He has always been very level headed and down to earth and I’m really proud of the way he handles himself and how much he has been able to achieve at such a young age. It feels like the year has flown but I’m proud of Nick and know he has had a good year. Nick’s focus is always on the team, each game.”
Darcy Cameron (pictured) won the Copeland medal for Collingwood on their awards night.