Gold Coast are pulling out all the stops to try and lure Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos to the club, possibly when he becomes a free agent in 2029.
The Magpies champion is favorite for this year’s Brownlow Medal and is already a three-time Australian international, premiership player, Collingwood best and fairest and club vice-captain at just 23 years of age.
Nick Daicos of the Magpies celebrates scoring a goal. Getty Images
Daicos, arguably the best player in the competition, has one of the finest playing CVs at this early stage of his career.
During last year’s trade period, it was reported that several clubs, including Tassie Devils, had asked the midfielder’s management about his potential availability.
This was due to Daicos finishing second in Collingwood’s best and fairest, a situation that caused his father Peter Daicos to leave the bill early.
Leading AFL reporter Cal Twomey told Footy Classified on Tuesday night that the Suns had a real chance of luring him away from Collingwood if the opportunity presented itself in the future.
The report drew some criticism, but Toomey has since elaborated on the situation as he knows it.
“Sometimes you have to report events knowing they won’t happen right away,” Twomey told 3AW on Thursday evening.
“What happened recently was that a number of clubs in the Gold Coast asked their players a question and asked a question back. They went to Nick Daicos’ management and said, ‘What are the chances?’
“Last year a number of clubs contacted Nick Daicos or his management directly during the trade period and asked themselves if they had any chance.
“The connection here is that Dayko has a large family in Queensland. They spend a lot of time on the Gold Coast.
“Gold Coast were the only club to officially interview Daicos during his draft. They put him through their club and he loved it at the time.”
“It was actually a decision he was mulling over in his draft year: nominate the Pies as a father-son or go into the open draft, where if he did, the Suns would go No. 1 and draft him. They were also the club that took a bet on him.
“Their interest in him remains constant and they have made that clear. Yes, every club would be interested in Nick Daicos, but he will be a free agent in 2029 unless you plant the seed now to get him to consider it…”
Richmond legend Matthew Richardson believes it will be the biggest trade move in the game’s history, surpassing Gold Coast signing Gary Ablett back in 2010.
“If he leaves Collingwood it will be the biggest signing in AFL history,” Richardson said.
“You can’t imagine him (leaving) black and white stripes because of the name.”
The AFL’s highest paid player in 2026 is St Kilda’s Nasia Wanganeen-Milera, earning $2 million per season.
In 2029, it is likely that Daicos’ next contract will be worth significantly more.
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick addressed the rumors on Thursday morning.
“Players like Nick and other players, any club would be crazy not to look at them,” Hardwick told reporters.
“These decisions are probably out of my control, we’ll just work with what we have.
“We are very happy with the playing group and roster we have at the moment.
“We’re always looking to improve that, certainly, but these are list management decisions that will be made towards the end of the year and in the years to come.”