Daicos delivers match-winning goal as Pies upstage Blues in epic

“Him and Bobby [Hill] have both kicked some great goals in that pocket. I thought it missed, but he was going to the crowd, so I was very happy – he’s a star.

“I think his first goal even was unbelievable: he baulked through a stoppage and snapped it. He just does things that other players can’t do, and he really breaks open the game, most games … I’m very lucky to play with him and can’t wait to keep doing it.”

Carlton were gaining ground on the Pies as the AFL’s close-game kings until Friday night’s result, but coach Michael Voss’ immediate reaction was to pay credit to Daicos.

Asked whether he could pinpoint what Collingwood did better than his side in the dying minutes, a deadpan Voss said: “Daicos was all right … they got that one little breakthrough, and he was good enough to finish, from a very tight angle, mind you, so a bit of class stood up at the right time.”

Daicos ended with 32 disposals, 15 contested possessions, seven clearances, seven tackles and seven inside 50s, on top of his two goals, as he returned to the midfield in spectacular fashion in Jordan De Goey’s absence.

McRae was most impressed with Daicos’ defensive performance, which was evident from the first quarter, including one passage of play where he charged down separate Blues on the wing within a matter of seconds to force a boundary throw-in.

“When he plays like that, he’s one of the best players in the competition. Everyone can see that,” McRae said.

“He was hard to stop tonight and … I was really happy with the defensive side of his game. His pressure was as good as I’ve seen since he’s been playing with us. Funnily enough, the other parts of his game really expressed themselves on the back of good defence, so I’m really pleased with that part, in particular.”

The Magpies, who next host West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday week, are unbeaten in their past five games, a period they defeated Brisbane at the Gabba, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and the Blues, as well as the draw with the Bombers.

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They are provisionally up to seventh spot on the ladder and those early defeats are a distant memory.

“We’re just building and building,” Lipinski said. “We’ve been struggling to play a four-quarter game, but that was pretty close to it, so it was a great win.”

McRae echoed those sentiments, admitting he would have had a “sour taste” in his mouth if they had not secured the four points after amassing 61 inside 50s to the Blues’ 38, including a 21-5 advantage in the final term.

“That’s a nourishing win,” the coach said.

“A couple of weeks ago, I said you don’t get style points, you only get four points – but we had a bit of style to it tonight. I felt there were some things in our game that sort of expressed themselves.

“We looked really well-connected at times. It’s not a perfect game, a minute to go, and the scores are level, but we’re not really aiming for that … that’s a deeper win than potentially we’ve had this year.”

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