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PIES\u2019 REALITY WITH \u2018UNDERDONE\u2019 DAICOS… AND WHY 2026 DOCKERS ARE DIFFERENT<\/p>\n
No Nick, and nothing comes easy?<\/p>\n
It certainly looked that way for Collingwood amid their nine-goal loss to Brisbane last Thursday night, where superstar Nick Daicos was a late out with a calf niggle.<\/p>\n
His absence was only amplified with captain Darcy Moore (hamstring) and Scott Pendlebury (Achilles awareness) also sidelined \u2014 the duo combining for a lazy 624 AFL matches between them.<\/p>\n
And while the latter returns this Friday night to take on a potent Fremantle outfit, fresh off a dramatic two-point win over Adelaide in foreign territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a real challenge for Collingwood, to be honest,\u201d four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he (Daicos) brings to the side physically, but also mentally, is so important. Players around him no doubt play better when he\u2019s out there … he\u2019ll be underdone. He might be passed fit to play, but certainly that calf didn\u2019t look 100% this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great challenge. If Collingwood can win over Fremantle on Friday, I think it\u2019ll arguably be their best win for the year; not only to date, but going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old Daicos looked very proppy at Thursday evening\u2019s captain\u2019s run at West Adelaide,<\/a> and while it would shock to see him taken out of the Magpies\u2019 side at the 11th hour for a second straight week, he certainly won\u2019t be playing at full fitness.<\/p>\n But, as important as \u2018The Little Master\u2019 is to Collingwood\u2019s system and structure, Moore\u2019s absence could be just as punishing. <\/p>\n There\u2019s no good week for coach Craig McRae to be without his two-time All-Australian defender, but against a rampant Josh Treacy and co for the Dockers, they really could use him this Friday night. <\/p>\n Alarmingly, the Magpies currently rank as the second-worst side in the league for inside 50s, as well as the fourth-worst team for defensive 50 to inside 50 conversion at just 28%.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tall timber with Fremantle will be really hard to contain. I look at them at the moment, and to me it just looks like they need much. They\u2019ve got great aerial presence in front and behind the ball, as well as a really balanced midfield,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re also winning the close games. The difference between this season and last season is clearly their starts; they\u2019ve worked on that and started matches well.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be the challenge for Collingwood. Once they get behind, do they have the firepower to kick four or five goals in a row? At the moment, it doesn\u2019t seem like they do.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dockers will go into the clash unchanged, while Daicos and Pendlebury highlight two of Collingwood\u2019s three inclusions for the match, with mature-age Sturt recruit Angus Anderson named to make his debut. <\/p>\n Daicos, Pendlebury to return | 02:55<\/p>\n FUMES v FORM: HAWKS\u2019 NEXT LITMUS TEST OFF FIVE-DAY BREAK<\/p>\n Very rarely do teams get the chance to bank two wins in a standard calendar week, but Hawthorn has that opportunity on Saturday night in what looms as one of the matches of the round against an undefeated Western Bulldogs outfit.<\/p>\n But if the Hawks are to do it, they\u2019ll have to earn it the hard way.<\/p>\n Sam Mitchell\u2019s side comes in off just a five-day break following an exhausting one-point Easter Monday thriller against Geelong \u2014 a game that left both sides with next to nothing left in the tank.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs, meanwhile, arrive off a vastly different preparation.<\/p>\n Despite an early blitz, Luke Beveridge\u2019s side was far from convincing in its win over a winless Essendon, giving Hawthorn reason to believe the league\u2019s form side might not be as untouchable as first thought.<\/p>\n \u201cComing off 84,000 people at the MCG and the way that the game was built up. The emotional toll it takes can\u2019t really be described,\u201d Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m looking at it from a Hawthorn point of view, you didn\u2019t see vulnerability on Sunday night, but you saw an Essendon side that wanted to compete and took it to the Dogs in the second half.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s your little glimpse at a side that\u2019s looked invincible this year, and maybe they\u2019re not. There\u2019s no doubt it\u2019s a challenge, but Hawthorn didn\u2019t play to their absolute best on Easter Monday either.\u201d<\/p>\n After being a late withdrawal against the Bombers, star midfielder Ed Richards has made a shock return to Luke Beveridge\u2019s line-up despite concerns over the tendon behind his knee.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old is one of four inclusions, although the Bulldogs remain without inside bull Tom Liberatore (hamstring).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an area where they\u2019re pretty stacked. They\u2019ve still got Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Kennedy and Joel Freijah \u2014 it\u2019s still an A-grade midfield!\u201d Lewis said <\/p>\n \u201cIf you put it against Hawthorn\u2019s midfield, they\u2019ve got Jai Newcombe, Conor Nash, Josh Ward and Sam Butler… they will no doubt have their work cut out.\u201d<\/p>\n That battle at stoppage looms decisive.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs rank first in the AFL for both centre clearances and total clearances, while Hawthorn has struggled in that area so far this season \u2014 a gap that could prove critical at Adelaide Oval. <\/p>\n But if the Hawks can get first use, their forward line is firing. Jack Gunston has led the way inside 50 in recent years, but Mitch Lewis reminded everyone of his threat against Geelong \u2014 stepping up when it mattered most to present as a genuine match-up headache.<\/p>\n \u201cHe certainly came into the game when Gunston went out through injury. He plays better when he\u2019s a deeper forward, but that\u2019s obviously where Gunston needs to play,\u201d Lewis explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s been a slow starter in games, Mitch, but in the second half it seems like he works out the patterns of the game and can have a big say \u2014 and he probably needed a big game on Monday in front of a big crowd to get a bit of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawks claim MCG thriller against rivals | 03:21<\/p>\n THE GATHER ROUND FURNACE THAT AWAITS ST KILDA AS SEASON HITS CROSSROADS<\/p>\n It was the Gather Round finale that produced one of last year\u2019s biggest shocks.<\/p>\n Port Adelaide stormed out to a 71-point lead before half-time<\/a> against a fancied Hawthorn outfit; a brutal dismantling that set the tone for one of 2025\u2019s most emphatic upsets.<\/p>\n Twelve months on, the Power again take centre stage to close Gather Round \u2014 and this time, it\u2019s St Kilda walking into the furnace.<\/p>\n Truth be told, for the Saints, this shapes as a genuine danger game.<\/p>\n Sitting at 1-3 and still searching for cohesion after an aggressive off-season, Ross Lyon\u2019s side arrives under a level of pressure that makes them vulnerable to a Port Adelaide outfit that thrives on momentum and emotion at home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe emotional side of the game you can\u2019t really prepare for, and it\u2019s moments early on in the game that will give you confidence,\u201d Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Port Adelaide get on top early and the crowd get involved, it\u2019s going to be a tough game for St Kilda.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the other hand, if St Kilda start well and take the crowd out, it\u2019s very tough for the Power.\u201d<\/p>\n That emotional edge has already been a talking point for the Saints in 2026. At times \u2014 including from Lyon himself \u2014 it\u2019s been leaned on publicly, in part reflecting the club\u2019s bold trade period that brought several high-profile recruits to Moorabbin on significant deals, signalling a win-now intent.<\/p>\n But the results haven\u2019t followed just yet, and in fact, there\u2019s a world where St Kilda could be 0-4, having scraped past GWS by only four points in Round 2.<\/p>\n Regardless, they sit in a tension point where expectation is high, but reality suggests patience is still required.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly the spotlight\u2019s been on them and their club considering their wholesale changes and the way they\u2019ve brought players in,\u201d three-time premiership Cat Tom Hawkins said to foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a player goes to a new organisation, though, that takes time. It\u2019s not something you can fast-track… they just need to get time under their belt. \u201cThey\u2019ll get there, but they just need a little bit more time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe week off comes at a really good time for them; just to be able to reflect and rest. Train together more, too, which is a really important piece.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt about the fact they come up against a side like Port … when they get a sniff that there\u2019s an opportunity to roll an under-pressure side, they certainly dig a bit into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Rozee reveals injury update | 01:43<\/p>\n GREAT\u2019S HINT ON WHERE SWANS CAN FIRM FLAG CREDENTIALS; SUNS\u2019 TRAVEL \u2018DEMONS\u2019 LINGER<\/p>\n