Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos is yet to win a Brownlow Medal, but barring serious injury, he seems destined to become the game's next triple Brownlow medallist and only the fifth in history. The question is when the 23-year-old will collect his first, and the answer should be this year.
Daicos's Stellar 2026 Season
After making his AFL debut in 2022, Daicos was third in the Brownlow in 2023, runner-up in 2024, and runner-up again in 2025. His 2026 numbers are already dwarfing his own stellar performances from last year. Through 13 games this season, Daicos has recorded 30-plus disposals in 11 matches, with the only two games falling short at 28 and 29 disposals respectively. In comparison, at the same point last year, he had achieved 30-plus disposals in just six of 13 games and had accumulated 16 Brownlow votes.
This season, Daicos has reached 35 or more disposals six times and has already notched up three games with 40-plus touches. He has also kicked six goals, double his tally from the same period last year. Despite these extraordinary numbers, Daicos has barely been mentioned in player-of-the-season discussions, though he currently leads the Coaches' Association votes, five clear of Bulldogs champion Marcus Bontempelli.
Praise from AFL Greats
AFL great and former Collingwood star Dale Thomas believes Daicos could be well ahead on Brownlow night and finally receive the recognition he deserves. “His numbers this year are absolutely off the charts,” Thomas said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. “Right now, the kid hasn't even been really in the (Brownlow) discussion. He's leading the Coaches' Association votes. He could be a long way in front on Brownlow night and finally get the Charles (Brownlow) that he deserves.”
Kane Cornes said Daicos would be a worthy Brownlow winner, while admitting he became annoyed when certain commentators and fans spoke about him with a “negative connotation”. “I think jealous people, jealous supporters (go after Nick),” Cornes said, while recognising he was critical of Daicos when he went into opening round last year under-prepared. “That's fine. No one has said more positive things about Nick Daicos than myself. If I've said one negative thing versus the 99 positive things I've said about Nick, I think that's OK. But there is a jealousy that comes with Nick. And he hasn't even been spoken about as a player of the season yet this year. I hope he wins the Brownlow. No one would be more deserving of that.”
Daicos's Consistency and Tag-Proof Ability
Despite his runner-up placing to Gold Coast's Matt Rowell last year, Daicos didn't even win Collingwood's best and fairest. That controversial call has since been remedied by the club, with coach Craig McRae saying in March this year that their own system for B&F voting had changed. Thomas said Daicos needed to be admired because he never “turns up his toes” in his game, while Cornes said he was “untaggable”. “Never has a three out of 10 game,” Cornes said. “If he has a bad game, it's a six-and-a-half out of 10, it's never a three and his best are clearly 10s.”
Collingwood's Ladder Position and Umpire Voting
The only thing that might work against Daicos this season is that Collingwood are 11th on the ladder with only six wins from 14 games. But with umpires having access to stats after games when casting votes, Daicos's numbers would be screaming off the page at the end of games.
Triple Brownlow Medallists in AFL/VFL History
As far as triple Brownlow medallists go, there are only four in AFL/VFL history, and they are all Hall of Fame legends. They are Fitzroy's Haydn Bunton Snr (1931, 1932, 1935), Essendon's Dick Reynolds (1934, 1937, 1938), South Melbourne's (Sydney's) Bob Skilton (1959, 1963, 1968) and St Kilda and Richmond's Ian Stewart (1965, 1966, 1971).
