Prior to this year, Josh and Nick Daicos had never played in the same football side as each other at any level.
Now they’re one win away from representing their beloved Magpies – the club they’ve always loved and their father became a legend of – on a Grand Final at the MCG and daring to dream.
Both of the Daicos brothers starred in Collingwood’s 20-point semi-final win over Fremantle, combining for 42 disposals in a polished display.
Watch every match prior to the AFL grand final Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Unsurprisingly, you couldn’t wipe the smiles off their respective faces post-game.
“I hadn’t played with Josh until our first praccy match earlier this year,” Nick Daicos told Fox Footy’s Best On Ground.
“We love it, we’re constantly grinning at each other, we get around each other when one of us makes a mistake out there.
“It’s the support we need, but we’ve also got it with our other 22 players on the field at one time. We’re a really close unit, we wrap our arms around each other and we’ve got a really special bond here at Collingwood.”
Asked if he ever imagined heading into a preliminary final with brother Nick as Magpies players, Josh Daicos said: “We did, but we both didn’t think it would happen this soon. It’s been a real whirlwind this year.
“We’re just really excited with where we’re at as a team and what the team’s been producing this year.”
Both players have thrived individually this season, with Nick winning the AFL Rising Star award in a landslide and Josh making the 44-man All-Australian squad in a career-best campaign.
The fact their brilliant campaigns have come in their first ever season in the same side is beyond a coincidence.
Asked if dad Peter – a premiership Magpies that kicked 549 goals from 250 games – encouraged both to kick it to each other on the field as often as possible, Josh said he “doesn’t need to tell us that because we already know” before Nick added: “Josh burns me a bit too much. I try and tell him.”
The Daicos’ have played a key role in the Magpies’ unlikely 2022 surge, which has seen them jump from a bottom-two side to preliminary finalists in 12 months off the back of a strong back-end to the season.
The Pies were a whisker away from avoiding a semi-final appearance, only to go down to Geelong by six points in an epic clash.
But it was the way Collingwood player in week one of the finals series that had Josh Daicos daring to dream of what was possible for his team this year.
“It started last week with a really solid performance against the best team of the year,” he said.
“I think last week we knew we had the potential to go all the way.
“It’s just about fronting up once again and playing another good week of football.”
To get to the Grand Final, though, the Magpies must overcome the Sydney Swans, who’ve won the past two encounters between the two teams, in a prelim.
But Nick said Collingwood would enter next Saturday’s clash with ample confidence.
“We’ll back in our structure. We played at the SCG a few weeks ago and we took a lot of learnings from that game,” he said.
“Obviously they’re a quality side, had a great win last week. We hope we can take it up to them and go through to the big dance.”
