[ad_1]
Peter Daicos, father of Collingwood star Nick Daicos, ruled out his son facing Melbourne in the qualifying final, but said the midfielder would have prepared for a knockout final.
Daicos was sidelined with a small fracture to the lateral tibial plateau of his knee during Collingwood’s match against Hawthorn in round 21, ruling him out for six weeks.
Despite the club confirming that he is on track with his rehab, father and Magpies legend Peter is confident he will sit out the first week of the finals, which kick off with the Pies and Demons on Thursday, September 7. .
READ MORE: Worrying ‘suspicion’ of Gould as storm lashes Bulldogs
READ MORE: Mutiny ‘rumors’ addressed after Dogs player walked
READ MORE: Golf rocked by ‘boys club’ claim after bizarre act
“It’s just a personal (view) but I don’t think I’ll play,” Peter said at the TAB final kick-off on Wednesday.
But Daicos did not shy away from the idea that if the circumstances had been different and Collingwood had not been given a second chance, his son would have played.
“If it had been a knockout final, then there would have been a lot more thinking about rolling the dice,” Daicos said.
Veteran Daicos was pleased that a knockout final was not yet on the table as the Pies were firmly determined to progress to the preliminary final and then the grand final.
“There’s more hair here and we have to have our players trying to get to the end of the season,” Daicos said.
“Maybe with ‘Fly’ (trainer Craig McRae), it’s about keeping (Nick’s) spirits up and moving on, but he’s getting the job done and can’t wait to get back.”
It comes after Collingwood manager Craig McRae admitted that Daicos is unlikely to make the selection against the Demons, but would not close the door on the possibility of Nick proving his fitness ahead of selection.
“Every day seems to be positive in terms of his improvement and I won’t see him until Thursday. We’ll see how he progresses then,” McRae told AFL360 on Monday night.
“Nick is an extraordinary guy in terms of the way he prepares and his professionalism.”
The comments prompted Peter Daicos to back his son’s ability to return to the Magpies side despite his return coming after possibly seven weeks on the sidelines.
“One of his good attributes is his hard racing and if that improves a bit he’ll still be up there,” Daicos said.
“You have the exchange and how he uses it… one of the things that the coaches have shown is the management and positioning of his team.
“I don’t see that being a problem.”
Despite Daicos likely being unfit for selection, the Feet will welcome captain Darcy Moore back from a hamstring injury, along with Beau McCreery (suspension) and Nathan Murphy (ankle) to face Melbourne in the MCG, with the winner advancing to a preliminary final. In the same place.
#Nick #Daicos #face #Melbourne #qualifying #final #played #knockout #final #manager #Craig #McRae #wont #play #door #open