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Important SN update for SouthlandShades of '23: Why Daicos sees similarities to Collingwood's flag year
Jaiden Sciberras • June 30th, 2025 2:40 pm
Following their 29-point win over West Coast on Saturday night, the Collingwood Football Club find themselves 10 points clear at the top of the AFL ladder, cruising towards yet another September berth.
Having lost just two games in 2025 to date, the Magpies have now claimed seven straight wins following their Round 8 loss to Geelong, comfortably presenting as the team to beat as the season heads towards the business end.
With eight games remaining in the home and away season, Collingwood star Josh Daicos believes the year thus far has shades of the Pies’ 2023 premiership campaign.
After 16 rounds in '23, the Pies had 52 points and a percentage of 138.8.After 16 rounds in '25, the Pies have 52 points and a percentage of 135.8.
“We found ourselves in this position in 2023, so there’s a really big similarity to that year,” Daicos told SEN Fireball.
“I feel like 'Fly' (Craig McRae) does an amazing job of breaking down the year. We will have focuses for certain patches, we know as a team how important the first four weeks are after bye rounds and how that can really set yourself up for success.
“He does an amazing job of keeping the group present and focused. We don’t pay too much attention to the ladder; it’s more about how we’re playing as a team.
“I feel like on the weekend, if we’re looking at process we were probably down a bit, even though we got the outcome. I felt like our performance was probably not where we would have liked to have been.”
Despite their comfortable lead atop the AFL ladder, Daicos has no doubt that the side will continue to play out a strong brand for the remainder of the season, refusing to ease into their relatively difficult run home.
“We’re still trying to play our best football,” he said.
“We still have a few pieces out of the team right now, and I feel like we’re still trying to qualify like all other teams.
“We have a tough run home, so we’re looking forward to a few key matchups there.”
With talk of players potentially resting in their upcoming lot of fixtures, the 26-year-old is adamant that he will continue to take the field for the remainder of the season, expressing that the club’s senior cohort may be inclined to rest in preparation for the finals.
“I’m still 26, I’m alright!” he continued.
“I never want to miss a game. If there’s a time to be managed, I want to be managed throughout the week. That’s enough for me to get a quick freshen up on the track and play on the weekend.
“I know our high-performance team does have a plan and they do a really good job with a lot of the older boys.
“I think we’re seeing that this year with the seasons of Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe, how good their performance has been and the way they’ve been managed through the pre-season and a few of the games this year.
“No doubt I’m sure as we get closer to the end of the year, if that does eventuate and we’re in a position to do that, that’d be great.”
Since shifting to the back flank at the back end of last year, Daicos has discovered his best career form, collecting 30+ disposals in each of his last three games for a season average of 28 a game.
With 13 wins, the fourth best attack and best defence, Collingwood are well set to attack a difficult run home, facing five top eight sides in their remaining eight games.
Despite their current form differential, Round 17 will certainly present as a challenge, with a Friday night clash with old rivals Carlton awaiting.
