In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- The Giants weigh up whether to tag Pies young gun Nick Daicos.
- A niggle could delay Max King’s comeback for St Kilda.
Overloads and shortages: Giants debate Daicos tag
Damien Ractliffe
GWS coach Adam Kingsley says the risk of focusing too much on Nick Daicos is that someone else in Collingwood’s midfield will get off the leash.
The Giants head to the MCG to face the Magpies on Sunday, a week after their crosstown rivals Sydney deployed a run-with player on Daicos and roughened him up early in the match.
While Daicos’ impact was limited compared with the first six rounds of the season, Scott Pendlebury was able to get off the leash and the Magpies were able to free up Isaac Quaynor off half-back for his best performance of the season.
Kingsley said that can be the cost of paying one player too much attention.
Nick Daicos came in for plenty of attention against the Swans.Credit: Getty Images
“If it’s an out-and-out tag with one player sitting on him, what Daicos and Collingwood and ‘Fly’ [coach Craig McRae] have been really strong at is being able to shift his position on the field,” Kingsley said.
“He’ll go from inside mid to half-back, he’ll go to half-forward at times, particularly when they need to win the game, and then that creates an overload in one part of the ground and a shortage potentially through the midfield because he typically starts most centre bounces.
“You run the risk of allowing them to have an un-pressured player running through the midfield and that’s plain and simple. Or if he tries to play on someone else, they’ve got a free player running around. They’re the things you deal with and manage; are we able to manage that, if so, how do we do it? What if it’s not working, do we have a plan B?
“They’re all the things we’ve got to plan through, and there are pros and cons to doing it.
“Whether it’s a tag, whether it’s a responsibility of players in his area to get the job done, we’ve got to stop his influence. I’m not exactly sure how we’ll do that yet.”
Kingsley said he would not instruct his players to go after Daicos behind play, but would encourage them to make sure he doesn’t easily find the ball when it’s in his area.
“I think it’s more important that you’re actually physical on the guy when the ball is live, and he’s a chance to get it,” Kingsley said.
“When the umpire has the ball, I don’t think there’s as much value in it in that period of the game.
“We tend to focus on the live ball and getting our jobs done there. But the players might have a different view, and if they do, that’s their responsibility. I won’t stand in their way.”
Phil Davis is a chance to return to the Giants’ defence after recovering from a groin injury to play in the VFL last weekend. However, captain Toby Greene is yet to prove his fitness from an ankle concern.
“He’ll train later on this week, probably main training Friday,” Kingsley said.
“He’ll train with a view to getting through that. We’ll see and assess, and then if we need to run some further tests, we’ll do that prior to the game. If he gets through training, he’ll play, if he doesn’t, he won’t.”
Kingsley said his side had a focus on better capitalising on its momentum within games.
“Certainly, Collingwood’s ability to finish off the game is really strong, obviously, and has been over the last year and a half. Clearly their record in close games is very, very good,” he said.
“But I think we’re a really strong last quarter team as well. The commentary for me around is trying to kepe the game within reach and not having to have those fighting comebacks to either just get over the line or just fall short. We need to be able to minimise their damage when they have momentum and maximise ours when we have it.”
Saints star nurses niggle
AAP
Max King’s much-anticipated comeback might remain on hold, with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon saying the star forward is nursing a “niggle”.
King is closing on his first senior game of the season, after his shoulder injury headlined a lengthy casualty list that Lyon called “disastrous”.
Lyon made it clear before Wednesday’s training that King is no certainty to play in Sunday’s big match at Adelaide Oval against the Crows.
Max King’s comeback may be delayed further.Credit: Getty Images
Asked if King would fly to Adelaide, Lyon said: “I’ve got no idea to be truthful.
“He’s going to train today and then train on Friday and we’ll have match committee.
“He’s been pretty good, he just had a little niggle on the weekend. Is that anxiety? Is that maybe just a couple of little things over the last few weeks?
“It’s a big decision. But he’s really tall … [and] we can do with a bit of height there.”
Lyon added that fellow key forward Anthony Caminiti will return from suspension, while Zaine Cordy is another option.
“It’s a nice problem to have,” Lyon said.
