Daicos - A Once in a Generation Player

[Thommo 42]

I loved him until I found out his sons follow Carlton.

then about 5 seconds later, I forgave him.

DAICOS!!!!!

 

[daics_35]

I loved him until I found out his sons follow Carlton.

then about 5 seconds later, I forgave him.

DAICOS!!!!!

Na one of them use to go for carlton but he to now goes for Collingwood.

About 5 years ago me and my dad met Peter Daicos for the first time at a Macedonian Church in Preston. I was about 13 at the time and really didnt know much about the history of Collingwood and the past champions. So my dad told me all about him and we went to have a chat with him. Great Bloke. Since that day i watched heaps of videos of Peter Daicos and i feel so unfortunate not to have watched him play for Collingwood, i was about 2 when he retired.

 

[Greening Magic]

Great Great Thread. Thanks Magicpants and Pie Eyed for the video's.

Seeing that video and remembering where I was sitting when he kicked some of those goals brought back so many great memories.

As others have already said, he changed the way others now kick the ball. So in fact changed the game for the better. Not many players in the history of the game can claim that.

Simply the Greatest.

(Now back to watch those clips again).

 

[Copeland]

I loved him until I found out his sons follow Carlton.

then about 5 seconds later, I forgave him.

DAICOS!!!!!

And the great thing is he's got two sons, Josh U12's and Nicholas is in tackers and turns 8 this year. Imagine those genes running around with Jett and Ayce Buckley.

 

[Pie eyed]

Great Great Thread. Thanks Magicpants and Pie Eyed for the video's.

Seeing that video and remembering where I was sitting when he kicked some of those goals brought back so many great memories.

As others have already said, he changed the way others now kick the ball. So in fact changed the game for the better. Not many players in the history of the game can claim that.

Simply the Greatest.

(Now back to watch those clips again).

The 40+ goals video....what must the full 97 have been like?

Old Daics can still raise the heartbeat after all this time.

 

[Visions]

The guy was a genius, the most elite player Collingwood has ever had.

Back then watching him destroy oppositions, you got a feeling how good he was, but its only watching some of the plodders run around nowadays (in the league) that you can really appreciate just how great he really was.

 

[Mickaman]

How many here had the duffle coat with 35 on the back. I am sure there are quite a few out there. I can remember heaps of kids had it. All of them probably eating their scanlens chewies with the footy cards that still smell like the chewing gum.

BTW:

There is only 1 Daicos. No other small forward will ever come close to his genious. The guy was a freak and was loved by all the Pies faithful who got the opportunity to watch him play.

 

[Marvel 21]

This brought happy tears back reading this thread. I cant wait for one of his sons to play to keep using the daicos name.. For those that cannot remember him to well then go buy the Daicos Hot Shots.. It has about 50 mins of his best goals from early 80s till early 90s... He even shares some of his secrets. I watch it each year and am amazed that players today cant get even close to his regular ball usage... True ablett was brilliant but when Daics got the ball past the centre the crowd new that his next disposal was specialllllllllllllllllllllll......luv you daics....

Peter Daicos – a career review and opinion piece for those interested in a player I believe to this day is still underrated as a true great of the game and a once in a generation player.

Why did I post this you ask as there has surely been other posts…well for a start I have only been posting for a little while on Big Footy, but as someone who saw Peter Daicos play many times in the flesh I am still to this day a firm believer that he is the MOST UNDERRATED superstar of our game.

Just Consider…..

In 1981 in his 2nd full season as a 19 yr old he kicked 76 goals from a flank (includes 12 goals from 4 finals)

This included Bags of 6,6,6,7 in 4 of his first 5 games

Another bag of 9 goals soon followed in rd 10!

Just imagine a 2nd year player at 19 yrs old doing anything close to this today!

In 1982, age 20 he kicked 58 as a flanker cum centreman including an incredible 7 goals in one quarter v the Roos at Arden st!

I know some have kicked 7 in a quarter before but how many from the centre and how many haven’t been from a KPF?

He was cruelled by injuries in his peak during the mid 80’s and reinvented himself in 1988/1989 where he played exclusively as a centremen and racked up 479 and 456 possies in those years. As well as averaging a goal a game.

Then in 1990 as a 28 yr old he had his greatest year kicking an incredible 97 goals as a small forward. More than just a great number, it was the quality of the goals he kicked that I will always remember as he had to manufacture the large majority by creating space, maneuvering opponents, kicking from impossible angles and outside 50 using the torpedo on several occasions and taking several one handed marks holding off his opponent using his other arm as he didn’t have the bigger body of a key forward.

To this day I believe this achievement is still grossly underrated – especially when you consider a widely considered average team won the flag that year. THE REASON – DAICOS KICKING 97 GOALS!

He then followed up 1991 with a lazy 75 goals after the well documented premiership hangover. This season punctuated by an incredible 5 week winning sequence coinciding with a late season comeback in which he kicked 8,8,13,6,5

The 13 goals 1 behind against Brisbane the absolute highlight for the year (by the way I plan to put together a video of these 13 goals which I will post one day unless someone can beat me to it!) as I have on VHS but need to get in on DVD.

1992 produced a more modest 52 goals but included his incredible goal against Richmond which earned him the GOTY he so richly deserved in 1990 against West Coast in the qual final with the greatest goal I have ever seen! Not because of the kick alone but the passage of play and the tense stage of a big final.

Finally in his last year 1993 as a 32 yr old, he only played 5 games due to injury but even then gave us something special in rd 2 with a stunning 8 goal performance at Vic park where the great Gary Ablett kicked 7 goals in an amazing duel..

Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s there were two players called GOD and they were Ablett and Daicos.

They both did things that were not only unbelievable but they did them consistently which is why their fans adored them and other fans admired them.

Now whilst I maintain Ablett is the greatest player I have seen, I also maintain that Daicos is the best in one broad category that is often debated:

The most skillful player ever, Period!

His left and right foot was so good he barely missed a target ever!
He would kick goals from everywhere, with both feet, bananas/snaps and set shot kicking was as good as anyone.
He has a style of goal literally named after him which is the miracle goals kicked from the boundary which he literally did so often it became rudimentary.
He would baulk as a rule, not blessed with pace made this look even better as he would dummy players to create space and looked majestic doing it!
He has the best collection of torpedo punts by a player in the time I have watched footy (30 years).
What player have you known that brings the crowd to a frenzy everytime he marked outside 50? The cry for Torp! Torp! was a ritual at pies game and did he deliver!!

Those that will question this are either too young to have seen Daicos, are blinded by Collingwood hatred or simply just didn’t get the chance to see enough of him due to the lack of TV coverage in those years compared to the last 20 years.

And before you say I'm biased, are Geelong fans biased when they say Ablett was the greatest...no. Again, Daicos is not the greatest player but the player with the greatest overall skills that has produced a career so unique and influential that surely must rank him higher than many of the media or so called experts have placed him.

Thanks for reading!

 

[4#Didak#4]

Most Pies supporters who grew up in the 80s had the 35 on their backs. He was a true great.

He did freakish things so often & well that at the time you almost took it for granted, you expected him to kick the freakish goal or nail 5 in a quarter to win the game.

When you look at the stats on paper & his highlight reel you realise how much better he was than any player playing today in terms of all round skills but also entertainment. For those a bit young I compare it to when Warnie retired, watching the Aussie cricket team now you realise how great & how unbelievable some of the things he did. We took him for granted.

For those a bit younger and fans of Didak & there are similarities, Dids is half the player Daicos was and will never come close.

My favourite memory of Daics was against the Bombers - can't even remember which year but probably 91. It won't be on any highlight reel, but there was so many little things he did that are forgotten. I had the perfect view, the ball was coming in high to our forward line & a Bomber player camped underneath ready to take an easy chest mark. Daics running with the flight plucked it one hand just before the Bomber player marked & in the same motion stepped around him and strolled into the open goal. The Bomber player was left planted to the spot still waiting for the ball to arrive, mouth wide open & stunned at what had occured - it was if the ball had vanished. That was what Daics did he performed magic.

 

[Rush Stand]

Daicos was just a pure genius. He to me is the most unique player the game has ever produced, period. The best user of a football from both sides of his body the game has produced. Then there is the matter of goalkicking. I was only watching him last night from a selection of highlights i had recorded back in 1992. What can i say, even at 30 he had the fans drooling but i remember him as a teenager when he burst onto the scene what he did to the black and white fans. We were all mesmerised by his mastery. If we ever find a player like that again, our club will be blessed.

 

[magicpants]

Daicos was just a pure genius. He to me is the most unique player the game has ever produced, period. The best user of a football from both sides of his body the game has produced. Then there is the matter of goalkicking. I was only watching him last night from a selection of highlights i had recorded back in 1992. What can i say, even at 30 he had the fans drooling but i remember him as a teenager when he burst onto the scene what he did to the black and white fans. We were all mesmerised by his mastery. If we ever find a player like that again, our club will be blessed.

Exactly! But is it just me or does it really bug you that he is left out of the discussion about best ever players, top 50's etc? Yes many players were more consistent but I dare say they played a more conventional role throughout their careers ie midfiled or FF or half back.

I must be missing something or is he simply misjudged?

 

[Camo1902]

Fantastic post highlighting just how great the Macedonian Marvel was. Still angers me that on these numbers he isn't in the VFL/AFL team of the century.

My all time fave player.

 

[jackcass]

He's got a couple of sons so hopefully they can develop into 2 in a generation players in a few years time.

 

[spartan-magpie]

Fantastic post highlighting just how great the Macedonian Marvel was. Still angers me that on these numbers he isn't in the VFL/AFL team of the century.

My all time fave player.

him being left out was an absolute f&^&ing disgrace....

 

[Thommo 42]

Jack Regan, Bob Rose and Daicos all had claims.

At least one of these blokes had to be in there

 

[Camo1902]

If that team was picked again today, Daics would be picked in a heartbeat. The small forward role Daics helped to revolutionise is imperative in today's footy, and is one of the hardest positions on the ground to play. For those reasons, i think if they re-visited that team a specialist small forward would be a monty!

I know it can be argued that Matthews was picked as the small forward, but ask a million footy fans and i reckon 99.9% would be of the opinion that Matthews should be regarded purely as a mid, and Daics as the small forward.

WE all know who the greatest small forward of all time is!!!

 

[hgiel]

Also worth mentioning his personal qualities - including his fairness and obvious work ethic.

I think he only ever got fined by the tribunal once for swearing at an umpire. He tiptoed over players he could have hurt if he wanted to. (My family used to call him twinkletoes)

I remember a game at Waverley when a couple of Essendon players tried to crush him, he got out of their way and they ended up hurting each other.

In 1990 the critics said Collingwood had no superstars! Shows what they know

 

[Didak2Dawes]

Wouldnt we love daics in the forward line these days.

[YOUTUBE]MEzf6Nk4xfQ[/YOUTUBE]

I saw him get his front teeth knocked at waverley and and in 91 saw him kick 13 goals against the bears.

He was wasted a bit at collingwood and he has lamented that he didnt always play in strong teams, he may have felt he had another gear to go to, i reckon he should have kicked another 500 goals to be honest.

 

[Axl the great]

I am so damn lucky to have seen Daics play for the majority of his career, he made footy worth watching no matter what club anyone supported, you just knew every week the talk amongst pie fans was "what will Daics do this week? that talk doesnt exsist anymore as far as one player goes.

His 13 goals against Brisbane on a hapless Johnny Gastev was the single greatest individual game i have seen from one player hands down.

I have Daics right up there with Garry Ablett snr, Robert Harvey Wayne Carey and James Hird as my top 5 players i have seen.

All these players did not rely on supply or delivery to star and turn a game on its ear, Lockett and Dunstall were superstars but relied on this to an extent, Carey had it but didnt need it to show his worth and could have played on a wing and still been a gun.

We will never see another Daics ever because sadly kids are now regemented and taught team first footy as soon as they hit representitive duties at 13 and 14 yrs old and individual flair and a little bit of selfishness is considered a big no no, flair is ******ed and kids lose that mindset that enables them to totally dominate a game for the good of the team.
That is the way footy is played now unfortunatly IMO so the past greats like Daics can never be replicated 100%.

 

[Mickaman]

I am so damn lucky to have seen Daics play for the majority of his career, he made footy worth watching no matter what club anyone supported, you just knew every week the talk amongst pie fans was "what will Daics do this week? that talk doesnt exsist anymore as far as one player goes.

His 13 goals against Brisbane on a hapless Johnny Gastev was the single greatest individual game i have seen from one player hands down.

I have Daics right up there with Garry Ablett snr, Robert Harvey Wayne Carey and James Hird as my top 5 players i have seen.

All these players did not rely on supply or delivery to star and turn a game on its ear, Lockett and Dunstall were superstars but relied on this to an extent, Carey had it but didnt need it to show his worth and could have played on a wing and still been a gun.

We will never see another Daics ever because sadly kids are now regemented and taught team first footy as soon as they hit representitive duties at 13 and 14 yrs old and individual flair and a little bit of selfishness is considered a big no no, flair is ******ed and kids lose that mindset that enables them to totally dominate a game for the good of the team.
That is the way footy is played now unfortunatly IMO so the past greats like Daics can never be replicated 100%.

Its sad in a way but understandable too.

In no way am I saying Thomas is in the same boat as Daics (nowhere near it). But Daisy in his first season had more flair and excitement than this year but I would take the 2010 version of Daisy than the 2006 version. I'm sure most of you would agree.

 

[Territory Magpie]

Wouldnt we love daics in the forward line these days.

[youtube]MEzf6Nk4xfQ[/youtube]

I saw him get his front teeth knocked at waverley and and in 91 saw him kick 13 goals against the bears.

He was wasted a bit at collingwood and he has lamented that he didnt always play in strong teams, he may have felt he had another gear to go to, i reckon he should have kicked another 500 goals to be honest.

Great video Didak2Dawes. Did you pick the narrator?...our very own Eddie, by the sound of it. What a labour of love that documentary would have been for him!

 

[vjknight]

my fav daics memory....

i went to training at vic park in 81 - before the main group came out daics & choco williams came out of the rooms and headed to the falls end goals for a bit of banana kick practice. the few of us there went down to watch. daics talked to choco for a few mins then they went to opposite sides of the goals to have a few shots. honestly it was the funniest thing.
daics could not miss, choco could not kick a goal. some went backwards, some went only a few feet, it was a thrashing.

all of us were having a laugh with them, daics baiting choco for his lack of goal kicking skill. daics ran them along the ground, thru the air, on the run, standing still, it didnt matter, they were easy for him. choco tried to no avail.

when the main group came out daics & choco went to join the group - someone yelled out "how many he miss daics?" choco yells back "every effin one".

on choco's side was the fact that ive never seen a guy try harder to be an elite footballer - he busted a gut in every game in black & white.

 

[loki04]

It's a pity I only really seen highlights of Daics was only 6 turning 7 in 1990 so don't have much reco9lection of him as a player tbh, from what I've seen heard and read he's an all time great yet is rarely spoken of when the greats are mentioned why is that?

 

[Visions]

Man love still growing with every watch.


The Macedonian Marvel

[youtube]yUwKKL51bEc[/youtube]



Daicos Magic- 40+ Goals from 1990.....WITH MORE COWBELLL!!!!
[youtube]WAZx2qyFw2I[/youtube]

Pie Eyed, great videos. For any person who doesn't know anything about Daicos, all they need to do is look at these. The ones against Richmond, Brisbane, and the one in the QF in 90 against West Coast are his best.

Didn't matter if it was left foot or right foot, boundary line or directly in front, his accuracy was freakish. Wonder how many points he actually kicked in his career?

And have you ever seen anyone kick as many goals with 60 - 70m torpedo's?

Brings a tear to the eye when you consider how many players from todays team can't kick simple goals on the run from 30 metres out.

 

[Parallel Andy]

Agree 100% with that post. He was amazing, just amazing.

He changed the game. Not many players do that.