You would not be shot down for calling a 20-year-old child the most effective participant within the AFL proper now.
Collingwood famous person Nick Daicos is taking the competitors by storm in simply his second 12 months on the highest degree, and is already among the many favorites to win the Brownlow medal, forward of seasoned champions corresponding to Marcus Bontempelli, Christian Petracca, Lachie Neale and Patrick Cripps.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nick Daicos says he would not get pleasure from being the focus within the AFL proper now.
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Groups try and failing to cease him from utterly controlling the sport at halfback.
The younger marvel even drew reward from arguably the best participant within the historical past of the sport, Leigh Matthews, who stated Daicos is “unequivocally” Collingwood’s most necessary participant.
But he’s categorically one in all Collingwood’s lowest paid gamers.
As a second-year participant, beneath the foundations of the AFL and AFLPA’s collective bargaining settlement (CBA), he have to be.
Talking on his podcast Tradies, 7NEWS Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary defined how Daicos could be the most effective value-for-money participant within the historical past of the code.
“There isn’t a participant within the competitors, possibly within the historical past of the sport, enjoying above their contract greater than Nick Daicos proper now,” Cleary stated.
“Simply wanting on the pre-existing CBA earlier than it was ripped up and performed once more via COVID – that is tough, ballpark figures: $140,000 base in your second 12 months in the event you performed greater than 17 video games the 12 months earlier than, which he did.
“So, $140,000, plus $5000 match funds, so to illustrate he performs 20 video games this 12 months, (that is) $240,000, and then you definately get one other max bonus of $12,000 for taking part in over 15 video games in complete. So, 1 / 4 of one million {dollars}.”
The common AFL participant’s wage in 2022 was $406,000, which means even with each bonus accessible to him, Daicos is incomes about $150,000 lower than the typical participant throughout the competitors.
“As a result of second-year gamers and first-year gamers are capped on the CBA,” Cleary went on to elucidate.
“Will Ashcroft would be the identical subsequent 12 months, Nick Daicos the identical, Tim Kelly at Geelong was the identical.
“And he (Daicos), theoretically, is incomes $240-$250,000 this 12 months to play footy, and he, proper now … (is price) $850-$900,000 on worth.
“He signed a four-year deal earlier than he performed a sport of footy (for Collingwood) – a two-year extension on prime of his mandate (first two years).
“(Former Collingwood coach) Nathan Buckley stated he would have picked him as a 17-year-old, so (he can be incomes) possibly $500,000 in years three and 4.
“It is fairly outstanding.”
