How Nick Daicos rewrote the record books of Australian rules football in four years
In short: Since his 2022 debut, Nick Daicos has transformed from a promising rookie into a generational force for Collingwood. By 2026, he had secured a Brownlow Medal with a historic vote count, cementing his status as one of the most decorated and statistically dominant midfielders in the history of the competition.
Born in 2003, Nick Daicos entered the Australian Football League in 2021 as a father-son selection for Collingwood, the same club where his father, Peter Daicos, played for over a decade. His impact was immediate; in his 2022 debut season, he became the first unanimous winner of the Rising Star award, securing a record 60 votes. This early success was merely a prelude to a rapid ascent that saw him become a central figure in Collingwood's 2023 premiership campaign.
The midfielder's statistical output has consistently pushed the boundaries of the sport. In 2024, he and Patrick Cripps both surpassed the previous record for votes under the league's 3-2-1 system, with Daicos polling 38. By 2026, he reached unprecedented heights, winning the Brownlow Medal with a record 47 votes—a margin of 11 votes that tied the largest winning gap in the award's history. That same year, he set a new benchmark for the coaches' association player award, accumulating 147 votes and shattering the previous record of 122 set by Dustin Martin in 2017.
Beyond his individual accolades, which include four consecutive All-Australian selections and two Leigh Matthews Trophies as the players' association most valuable player, Daicos is noted for his elite decision-making and scoring impact. His 2026 season was particularly historic, as he became the fifth player to simultaneously win the Brownlow Medal, the coaches' association award, and the players' association MVP in a single year. Despite Collingwood's elimination in the 2026 wildcard finals, Daicos remains a defining talent, having polled over 30 votes in three separate seasons, a feat never before achieved in the history of the Brownlow Medal.
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- Also: Wikidata — Nick Daicos · CC0
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