In a significant moment for the Collingwood Football Club this week, senior coach Craig McRae spoke publicly about the roles and recent performances of two of the clubโs most influential players: midfield star Nick Daicos and elite ruckman Darcy Cameron.
McRaeโs comments come in the wake of Collingwoodโs best-and-fairest award night for the 2025 season, where Darcy Cameron took out the E.W. Copeland Trophy โ the clubโs highest individual honour โ finishing ahead of Daicos.
Cameronโs Breakthrough & McRaeโs Praise
Cameron, 30, was recognised for his outstanding season โ his first time winning the Copeland Medal โ and also picked up the Darren Millane Memorial Award for Best Clubman. McRae heaped praise on Cameronโs consistency, leadership and influence throughout 2025, highlighting his dedication both on and off the field.
โDarcy has played a pivotal role in our side this year and itโs fantastic to see him get the recognition he deserves tonight,โ McRae said. โTo take home the Copeland Trophy and the Darren Millane Award is a credit to Darcy and a huge testament to his character and influence on the program.โ
The 2025 Copeland result saw Cameron finish with 328 votes, while Daicos was the runner-up with 315.
Nick Daicos: Performance & Future Outlook
Despite finishing second in the clubโs award and again being a standout midfield force, Daicos has weathered external speculation about his future โ including off-season trade whispers. Nick Daicos has publicly dismissed any serious interest from rival clubs, reaffirming that he is contracted with Collingwood through at least 2029 and focused solely on contributing to the Magpies.
McRaeโs remarks acknowledged Daicosโ brilliance this past season โ a year that also included a third straight All-Australian selection and a runner-up finish in the Brownlow Medal count โ but also underlined the depth of talent across the Collingwood list that has contributed to the clubโs success.
Comments on Voting & Club Culture
The speech by McRae ignited debate among fans and pundits regarding how best and fairest awards are judged within the clubโs system. McRae indicated he would be open to reassessing how votes are allocated for internal awards to ensure the system fairly reflects impact, though he stressed that any change would be carefully considered in the context of team culture and performance assessment.
Looking Ahead to 2026
With the AFL 2026 pre-season under way and leadership groups confirmed, Collingwood enters the new year with both Daicos and Cameron integral to their plans on the field. Daicos continues in his leadership role as Vice-Captain, while Cameronโs best-and-fairest success has further stamped him as a key figure in McRaeโs side heading into another campaign
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