Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:
- Pies coach Craig McRae has issued a pointed reminder about Nick Daicos’ contract status.
- Patrick Voss apologised to Harrison Petty and said he was unaware of the origins of the crying taunt.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has issued a pointed reminder that Nick Daicos is well paid and is flourishing at the Magpies, as the long-term future of the star midfielder continues to attract headlines.
Daicos, 23, is contracted until the end of 2029, but is a player of significant interest for the Tasmania Devils, who will enter the AFL in 2028.
The brilliant onballer is the Magpies’ highest-paid player, earning $1.1 million a season, and will pocket up to $1.4 million in coming years, but the Devils can offer him a 10-year, $25 million deal, including a significant portion of their $5 million sign-on bonus.
A day after Daicos told Fox Footy he was “really happy” at Collingwood, McRae reminded the football world that Daicos – and his brother Josh – were well paid.
“Look, all I will say about Nick and Josh is that they are absolutely thriving in their environment, extremely well paid, so they should be,” McRae said.
“They train as well as anyone we’ve ever had, so [they’re] thriving and well looked after.”
McRae said he regularly spoke to Daicos about the “outside noise”.
“I speak to Nick regularly about this sort of stuff. I think it is what it is, isn’t it? Like others are creating the story. Last time I looked, he had a four-year contract,” McRae said.
Josh Daicos, having signed a six-year contract extension, is tied to the club until the end of 2030.
The Daicos brothers and their father, Collingwood great Peter, created headlines last weekend by taking part in speaking engagements in Tasmania, where they were pictured with Devils board director Roger Curtis, a Collingwood fan. Their visit coincided with the Devils making their debut in the VFL before a bumper home crowd.
Nick Daicos said the trip was “planned a long time ago, in December” after the Magpies’ early-season bye was confirmed.
“Planned to play a bit of golf over there, had a couple of engagements and then coincidentally the VFL were playing their first game, so didn’t line up too well,” he said.
The Magpies’ co-vice captain said his manager Robbie D’Orazio, from CDG Sports Management, took care of any potential approaches.
“I don’t have too many discussions with my manager about that sort of stuff,” Daicos said.
“He can talk to people like that as much as he wants … he can talk to them if Tassie want to drive that conversation. I’m really happy at Collingwood.”
The Magpies and Daicos have yet to start discussions about a contract extension. D’Orazio was contacted for comment.
Industry sources said the Magpies were keen to begin discussions with their star, and understood he needed to remain their highest-paid player, or extremely close to the highest-paid should they pursue a marquee free agent or off-contract star, such as Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters.
But they are also cognisant of what it takes to build a list that can contend for the premiership, which often requires a more even spread of wages.
McRae said skipper Darcy Moore (hamstring) and fellow veteran Jeremy Howe (calf) would return from injury for Friday night’s clash against Greater Western Sydney at Marvel Stadium. The Pies will also unveil a debutant – young ruckman Oscar Steene.
Steene, 22, has waited more than four years to get his chance at the highest level. The 201-centimetre big man was emotional when McRae told him on Wednesday that he’d finally get the chance to ruck alongside Darcy Cameron.
“I’m getting emotional for you,” McRae said in a Collingwood video.
“Just play to your strengths, and one of your greatest strengths is going to be really important for us – jumping over the top of people at centre bounces.”
Recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, Steene said: “It’s been a long time [coming]. I’m excited to play with everyone that I’ve been looking up to for a long time. It’s going to be fun.”
McRae said the Magpies had worked closely on generating greater “connection” up forward in a bid to be more potent on the scoreboard. The premiership coach did not rule out Howe, typically a defender, spending time inside his team’s attacking 50 metres.
Bobby Hill had his second training session since returning from personal leave, McRae suggesting the 2023 Norm Smith medallist was fitter than the club initially expected, and he could return to the line-up ahead of schedule. But McRae said there was still no specific date for Hill’s game-day return.
– Jon Pierik, Scott Spits
Voss says he used ‘crying taunt’ to Petty without knowing its origins
Roy Ward
Fremantle forward Patrick Voss has apologised to Melbourne’s Harrison Petty and says he taunted him with a crying gesture without understanding the background behind it.
Voss faced a backlash following the Dockers’ win over Melbourne on Saturday night after he taunted Petty late in the first term by rubbing his head and then making the crying gesture, following which Voss’ own teammates were seen trying to push him away.
Voss revealed on Wednesday that he’d apologised to Petty and said he’d used the taunt without looking into its origins.
The crying reference was related to an incident in 2022 when Petty became emotional after Lions skipper Dayne Zorko sledged him about a member of his family.
Voss was also cited for unsportsmanlike behaviour by the AFL match review officer and fined $1500.
“From the bottom of my heart, I honestly had no context whatsoever around the whole situation,” Voss told Triple M in Perth on Wednesday.
“As soon as I got some context around it, at the end of the game, I reached out to Harry and just let him know there was nothing sinister behind it at all. He was really good about it, so I’m glad that I was able to reach out to him, and he was able to accept my apology.”
When questioned about how he could use the gesture without knowing the context, Voss said he got it wrong.
“If I had my time again, there’s no way in the world I’d go down that path. And that’s obviously where I went wrong,” Voss told Triple M.
“Obviously, I put my hand up and say I’ve got it wrong.
“I didn’t even hear rumours, nothing like that. I was obviously referring to the time that he did end up crying in Brisbane, but no idea why he was crying.”
Voss also called Dockers coach Justin Longmuir on Sunday and apologised for taking attention away from his side’s win and strong start to 2026.
“The club’s been unbelievable this week in terms of reinforcing to me that they still want me to bring my competitive edge and still, like you say, walk the tightrope,” Voss told Triple M.
“I obviously stepped over the mark on the weekend … I’ve put my hand up and I own [it], and I’ve sort of apologised to them in that sense.”
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