Mega Thread Nick Daicos - Can he be the GTWEB? Part 2

[sr36]

We've got good attackers. Why would we use Bontempelli for kicking goals?

Bont does the harder things. He helps a team with very ordinary tall defenders and ordinary or aging small defensive midfield/defender partners prevent the opposition from kicking a winning score.

Daicos can play anywhere. Why doesn't he help out where he's most needed at the Pies - attack?

What? I think your brain just broke.

 

[South of the Yarra]

And he STILL couldn't win the BnF, which does include finals. Bont was only pipped by Richards due to missing 22% of his games. Daicos certainly didn't miss that proportion in 2023 or 2025.

So you rank Gary Ablett Senior as the 24th best player to ever play for Geelong? Wow just wow.

 

[Mr Meow]

So you rank Gary Ablett Senior as the 24th best player to ever play for Geelong? Wow just wow.

What about, what about, what about...

Senior did have 7 seasons at Geelong where he played 17 games or less.

15 to 17 game seasons won't win many BnFs.

Daicos in 2023 played 22 games. Plenty win BnFs playing that many.

 

[HeathySure]

Across 2023-2026 Bont is vastly superior in the offensive elements of the game, and he's also vastly superior in all the defensive actions and contest elements of the game. It's why he rates a lot higher in a system that involves no emotion and doesn't factor in those who play a more uncontested and eye catching role.

And then there's the eye test.....you watch them play and Bont can do it all ...contested marks, high marks, clearance, goals, both sides of body, run and carry, elite kick.......Naicos can't.

So this thread should be called "Can Naicos be the second best player in the game in 2026?"

Wrong

Naicos creates goals out of nothing multiple times a game with his hands especially. You need ot watch closer

 

[HeathySure]

You keep selling Daicos' creative ball use and line breaking as his point of difference compared to other midfielders, but how exactly are you measuring that?

Daicos wasn't in the top 5 midfielders of 2025 for metres gained. In 2024 he was 4th. In 2023 he was 7th. Others clearly break lines more.

Okay, so maybe that is offset by sheer skill and capacity to generate scores (goals, goal assists, SIs) via creative ball use?

Using averages:

-In 2025 Daicos wasn't a top 10 midfielder for goals, he was equal 5th (with 3 others) for goal assists and 3rd for SIs.

-In 2024 Daicos was equal 5th for goals, wasn't top 10 for goal assists and was equal 4th (with 2 other players) for SIs.

-In 2023 Daicos was equal 2nd for goals (with 3 others), wasn't top 30 for goal assists and was 10th (with a few others) for SIs. His time at half back was spent as an outside midfielder, so position isn't an excuse.

Daicos has not been number 1 for line breaking and has never been top for any scoring metric, or even dominant when combining goal/goal assist/SI rankings.

Wrong

We win games because of his creativity. He does it by sleight of hand, So many times he has been able to create paths for our players to get free out of nowhere. This has been highlighted many times on TV shows but as so far as a stat goes its just a handball or a kick.

His vision is extraordinary. Far Better than Bonts

 

[HeathySure]

And you're the fool for thinking that teammates and game plan can vary those statistics enough to make a difference.

As I've pointed out before, both Western Bulldogs (who played in the highest scoring matches) and Collingwood (who had some of the lowest) still had total match scores that were within around 10% of the league average. It's not as if a typical Collingwood game was points for/points against 50-40 and a typical Western Bulldogs game was 200-180 in 2025.

For instance, Collingwood as a team averaged 68 intercept possessions and Western Bulldogs 61 intercept possessions, compared to the league average of 64. Ergo, both within about 7.5%. Western Bulldogs games averaged 97.8 stoppages a game in 2025, compared to Collingwood's 96.2 - league average 97.8

There were incredibly similar opportunities for both Bontempelli and Daicos to generate scores in this algorithm on the basis of the team style that their team impacted upon.

Your're acting as if Daicos was playing soccer and Bontempelli was playing European Handball given the opportunity to score. You're completely wrong - both teams played styles that gave incredibly similar opportunities for their player to get involved in the play at an "from turnover" and "from stoppage" system, leading to incredibly similar match scores (both around 10% of the league average).

now do wins over the last 4 years

 

[South of the Yarra]

What about, what about, what about...

Senior did have 7 seasons at Geelong where he played 17 games or less.

15 to 17 game seasons won't win many BnFs.

Daicos in 2023 played 22 games. Plenty win BnFs playing that many.

Oh, suddenly the metrics change. Plenty may, but not Ablett Snr. On 6 occasions Ablett Snr played 20 or more games in a season and failed to win a B and F. By your logic he can no longer be rated. Ablett Snr must now be taken out of the discussion of the greatest players ever. In fact, Ablett Snr had only one B and F win and this was when the Cats did not play finals, a cherry-picked win with no competitors.
Thanks to Mr Meow reliance on Club B and Fs, Ablett Snr is now out of the discussion.

 

[HeathySure]

I have no idea what you're on about. Daicos and Bontempelli play almost identical roles in the sense that the other two midfielders typically are happy to play more defensive roles or release roles to get the ball in the hands of their best ball using midfielder (Daicos or Bont). That is obviousl to anyone who watches games. Teams tag Bont and Daicos, but they don't tag the other 2 midfielders at centre bounces as often.

Teams tag Daicos way more than Bont. A lot of Daicoses tags were totally defensice too, Its easier to ****** a player if you have no interest in getting the ball, Bont has never copped that

 

[HeathySure]

We've got good attackers. Why would we use Bontempelli for kicking goals?

Bont does the harder things. He helps a team with very ordinary tall defenders and ordinary or aging small defensive midfield/defender partners prevent the opposition from kicking a winning score.

Daicos can play anywhere. Why doesn't he help out where he's most needed at the Pies - attack?

you might want to watch the games this year. Despite being restricted to the backline he has had 6 shots at goal. But his first instinct always is to look for a player in a better position

 

[Mr Meow]

Only

Oh, suddenly the metrics change. On 6 occasions Ablett Snr played 20 or more games in a season and failed to win a B and F. By your logic he can no longer be rated. Ablett Snr must now be taken out of the discussion of the greatest players ever. In fact, Ablett Snr had only one B and F win and this was when the Cats did not play finals, a cherry-picked win with no competitors.
Thanks to Mr Meow reliance on Club B and Fs, Ablett Snr is now out of the discussion.

Only 6 times is pretty crazy, isn't it?

It seems elite midfielders Williams, Couch and Hocking had some great seasons. Top midfielders tend to do well. I wonder if Daicos is a key forward or a top midfielder?

 

[Mr Meow]

Wrong

We win games because of his creativity. He does it by sleight of hand, So many times he has been able to create paths for our players to get free out of nowhere. This has been highlighted many times on TV shows but as so far as a stat goes its just a handball or a kick.

His vision is extraordinary. Far Better than Bonts

In other words "I'm a Collingwood supporter and I trust my unbiased eye test that a Collingwood player is the best ball user in the comp".

Yeah, that holds up well.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Teams tag Daicos way more than Bont. A lot of Daicoses tags were totally defensice too, Its easier to ****** a player if you have no interest in getting the ball, Bont has never copped that

Except for Josh Dunkley who put a very, very heavy tag on Bont literally two games ago. And it was effective - Bont only had 1 clearance from the game outside of his (quite low) 3 centre clearances in that match. Dunkley didn't have much interest in winning the ball either.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Only
Only 6 times is pretty crazy, isn't it?

It seems elite midfielders Williams, Couch and Hocking had some great seasons. Top midfielders tend to do well. I wonder if Daicos is a key forward or a top midfielder?

So only once your club judged him as your best player. Yep, that's right folks, the man many Cats fans call the Greatest player ever only won one B and F. Geelong didn't even rate him as their best. His only success was when the Cats did not play finals. Strike him from the conversation.

 

[Mr Meow]

So only once your club judged him as your best player. Yep, that's right folks, the man many Cats fans call the Greatest player ever only won one B and F. Geelong didn't even rate him as their best. His only success was when the Cats did not play finals. Strike him from the conversation.

You're just rambling over the same points and ignoring any response now. My grandpa (God bless him) used to do the same. There isn't much to be gained from me humouring you any further with this conversation. In fact it would be a little cruel to.

 

[ferball]

How can a person with almost 40,000 posts on a football forum be this dense?

Doesn't this question answer itself?

 

[South of the Yarra]

Meanwhile Dunstall wins 4 Club Best and fairest, but I guess Hawthorn must not have had any midfielders.

 

[Corn Cobbers]

Meanwhile Dunstall wins 4 Club Best and fairest, but I guess Hawthorn must not have had any midfielders.

Ablett won the same number of B and Fs as Wes Fellowes

 

[South of the Yarra]

Ablett won the same number of B and Fs as Wes Fellowes

Perfectly said, his own club did not rate him.

 

[sr36]

Except for Josh Dunkley who put a very, very heavy tag on Bont literally two games ago. And it was effective - Bont only had 1 clearance from the game outside of his (quite low) 3 centre clearances in that match. Dunkley didn't have much interest in winning the ball either.

It was the standard Dunkley game. He's a gun. Defensive on stoppage against the most dangerous mid at stoppage and still gets his share of possessions. But didn't tag him. Dunkley attended 27 CBA, Bont 16. He didn't follow him around. Dunkley went to stoppage as he always does and matched up on a dangerous player. All the really good ones get a defensive player on them at stoppage every week. Taggers on the other hand follow you everywhere. Brisbane very rarely use a tag and this wasn't one.

 

[HeathySure]

In other words "I'm a Collingwood supporter and I trust my unbiased eye test that a Collingwood player is the best ball user in the comp".

Yeah, that holds up well.

I know what i see. Most commentators see the same thing too.

There is a reason we have had close to the best winning percentage since he started playing, and its him.

 

[HeathySure]

Except for Josh Dunkley who put a very, very heavy tag on Bont literally two games ago. And it was effective - Bont only had 1 clearance from the game outside of his (quite low) 3 centre clearances in that match. Dunkley didn't have much interest in winning the ball either.

Yep fair. I hate that the umpires let this happen, not just for Nick, the taggers get away with illegal blocking and holding all the time (and chopping of the arms which Darcy suffers from) and the good players are the ones penalised

 

[Mr Meow]

I know what i see. Most commentators see the same thing too.

There is a reason we have had close to the best winning percentage since he started playing, and its him.

No worries. I would trust my life with what you see in Collingwood players relative to others, so it appears this debate is finally settled.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

It was the standard Dunkley game. He's a gun. Defensive on stoppage against the most dangerous mid at stoppage and still gets his share of possessions. But didn't tag him. Dunkley attended 27 CBA, Bont 16. He didn't follow him around. Dunkley went to stoppage as he always does and matched up on a dangerous player. All the really good ones get a defensive player on them at stoppage every week. Taggers on the other hand follow you everywhere. Brisbane very rarely use a tag and this wasn't one.

Football fan discovers the concept of "shaking a tag". Incredible.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Jagger's 5th ever quarter of AFL was better than any quarter Naicos has ever played

Why hasn't this thread been shut down??

 

[sr36]

Football fan discovers the concept of "shaking a tag". Incredible.

It's just not a tag if they don't follow you. It's just someone playing defensively at stoppages.