![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787940254_42_ddb439a35602544b713c38672523d9b13febc6cda49bcf2dcf93af2f2438157f.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
August 29, 2026 \u2014 2:11am<\/p>\n
Save<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Nick Daicos has had one of the greatest individual seasons in the game\u2019s history.<\/p>\n He\u2019s already won the AFLPA\u2019s MVP award. Collingwood\u2019s best and fairest is a formality, no matter what their voting system is. It\u2019s not a matter of if he wins his first Brownlow Medal in three weeks, but by how far. On Friday night, he was comfortably the Magpies\u2019 best player.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure he could have done much more this year,\u201d Collingwood coach Craig McRae said after his club\u2019s agonising three-point loss to the Western Bulldogs<\/a>.<\/p>\n But as well as Daicos has played this season, he could make his team no better than bang average. They will finish ninth, at best. Of their past 33 games, they have won less than half with 15.<\/p>\n Even the hardier Pies fans will not want to contemplate where they would be without Daicos. His heroics have papered over the cracks all season, but warts are exposed in finals. This game was lost for the Magpies long before Tim Membrey\u2019s kick after the siren slewed to the right.<\/p>\n The Pies were comprehensively beaten at stoppage \u2013 by 10 out of the middle and 19 overall \u2013 conceding five goals from the centre. This included Aaron Naughton\u2019s clutch mark and goal moments after Jack Crisp gave the Pies the lead for the first time since the opening term.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got smashed,\u201d Daicos said of their clearance work.<\/p>\n Collingwood list boss Justin Leppitsch should give Brisbane\u2019s Lachie Neale what he needs to trade the maroon, blue and gold for the black and white. An industry source believes the Pies are in the box seat to get him.<\/p>\n Neale is well and truly into the veteran category, but even at the age of 33 he would make the Pies younger than they were this year.<\/p>\n Steele Sidebottom has said goodbye, given a guard of honour by both clubs as he walked off an AFL field for a 375th and final time to Alex Lloyd\u2019s Amazing.<\/p>\n The signs are also pointing to a farewell for Scott Pendlebury, who had the look of a man who won\u2019t be wearing the club\u2019s famous jumper again when he hugged a host of well-wishers in the rooms.<\/p>\n Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli are widely regarded as the two best players in the game, but whereas Collingwood\u2019s champion played close to a lone hand in the midfield, the Bulldogs captain had a wolf pack following his lead.<\/p>\n In his first final as an onballer, Matt Kennedy played the perfect support act to Bontempelli. But he will be missed next week, having entered concussion protocols. Ed Richards was down from his usual high standards but was better than all bar Daicos from the Pies midfield.<\/p>\n Editor’s pick Beau McCreery provided the grunt but had no support from other workhorses. Ed Allan and Ned Long had 16 and 15 centre bounce attendances for one centre clearance between them, and possession tallies of 13 and 16 respectively. Jordan De Goey had a big moment with a goal in time-on, but did little else.<\/p>\n Sam Swadling was the best of their seven finals debutants, and Angus Anderson kicked two crunch goals in the last term, but the rest had little to no impact.<\/p>\n Granted, the Pies were without leaders Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard, Jamie Elliott, Pendlebury and the dependable Harry Perryman, but the Dogs batted deeper, which is not usually said about them.<\/p>\n Their finals newbies were influential. Arty Jones was among the best on field, booting four goals with his 17 disposals. His chase on Jeremy Howe turned what should have been an easy Pies rebound into a goal to Cody Weightman.<\/p>\n Ryley Sanders and Joel Freijah, in his second final, provided midfield depth, ensuring the Dogs \u2013 unlike the Pies \u2013 still had bark in the centre when their A-listers were resting.<\/p>\n The Pies looked most threatening when they triggered turnovers at half-back, allowing them to stream through the middle with speed, but were forced to play out of their defensive half for too long.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Their ball movement was electrifying when Daicos was involved, but lacked penetration when he wasn\u2019t. \u201cDysfunctional\u201d was how Daicos described it overall.<\/p>\n \u201c[It] didn\u2019t look like we had any method to what we were doing, and it looked like [the] Doggies did,\u201d Daicos said.<\/p>\n This would have been a heist if Membrey had converted.<\/p>\n Membrey\u2019s miss was the climax of a stunning final term where the lead changed on four occasions in time on.<\/p>\n The Dogs have been the cliff-hanger kings this season, winning eight from nine in matches decided by a single-digit margin (the other was a draw), but they almost blew this game after Sam Davidson kicked a point the Dogs did not need.<\/p>\n In a matter of 19 seconds and three possessions, the Pies ran the ball from their goal line for Membrey to mark inside 50.<\/p>\n Even with the support of his teammates, who rushed to him instantly, Membrey cut a forlorn figure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe year he\u2019s had to support our young forward line and be a pillar in that forward line \u2013 it\u2019s more than just tonight,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I just said to him, \u2018Don\u2019t carry it\u2019. It\u2019s hard not to. I can\u2019t imagine what that would be like, but he doesn\u2019t need to carry the weight of that. That\u2019s not all his.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Collingwood](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c886a3776273ee9f6ef0177100e401ae362aacae.jpeg\")
Collingwood coach Craig McRae and stand-in captain Nick Daicos embrace after their side was eliminated from this year\u2019s finals series.AFL Photos<\/p>\n![\"Joel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17ca3f357eaa983e04729f47ef64c3e98ec56469.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d1931e7d9d0a0266bba2f4900409c65b43761ae9.jpeg\")
Tim Membrey (right) was consoled by Steele Sidebottom, who was playing his 375th and final AFL game.AFL Photos<\/p>\n