Record books don’t lie. They don’t necessarily paint the full picture either.
History will show that the No.1 pick in the 2021 AFL National Draft was Jason Horne-Francis. A fine young player, no question, but the best player in that outstanding draft pool? Not quite. Not yet, anyhow.
Nor was it the player selected with the second pick (Western Bulldogs father-son selection Sam Darcy). No, the best player in that ballot wasn’t even top three; that podium group rounded out by Finn Callaghan, snared by the Giants.
It wasn’t until #4 that the player considered top of this outstanding crop heard his name called. Initially by Gold Coast, but eventually landing at Collingwood who had family lineage on their side as they matched the Suns’ bid for Nick Daicos.
A stylish midfielder, Daicos slipped to No.4 after GWS first nominated Darcy but the bid was matched by the Bulldogs, so they happily secured Callaghan. And then Gold Coast called Daicos’ name.
All of the clubs knew the end result, was a fait accompli but had to keep the Magpies honest. Collingwood had committed to giving Daicos junior, the youngest son of 1980s marvel Peter Daicos, his entrée into senior football.
It was hardly a difficult decision, Daicos was a gift from heaven. He has lived up to the pre-draft hype – and some.
Since his debut against St Kilda, in round one last year, he has had an extraordinary impact on elite football. He was a shoo-in for the Rising Star Award in 2022. Last month he added an ANZAC Day Medal to what will undoubtedly become an impressive bootie by career’s end.
The spotlight has shone squarely on his young frame, both from opposition teams and the hordes of adoring Pies fans in the last 18 months. He’s unfazed by the attention.
Last week the second-year sensation was physically targeted by Sydney players as they tried to shift his focus away from the task at hand. He’s not easily distracted. On or off the field.
Such has been the impact of his first 33 games many “experts” have suggested there has never been a player make a better start to his AFL career. Maybe that is so, maybe not.
When conversations, debates, arguments around the ‘best’ are aired there is rarely just one name tossed into the pot. And there is a strong case to line up Chris Judd against Daicos at this embryonic stage of their respective careers.
Judd was a very special player.
Drafted by the West Coast Eagles with pick #3 in the 2001 draft his impact was almost as immediate as that of Daicos – albeit he had to wait until round two, 2002 to debut. He spent the first week of that season with aligned WAFL club East Perth.
He kicked four goals and polled the maximum five Sandover Medal votes, under the system that existed 20 years ago. Unsurprisingly the Royals never saw him again.
The explosive midfielder made his AFL debut against Collingwood at the MCG in round two. The Eagles lost, but Judd excited. Nineteen possessions, a goal and the Rising Star nomination. Fair start.
He built on that remarkable debut throughout the season, won the club’s emerging talent award and finished third in the Club Champion Award. That would be his lowest finish in the first five seasons at the Eagles.
Arguably – and we are venturing back into subjective territory again – he should also have won the Rising Star award. Instead that honour was bestowed upon Nick Riewoldt, perhaps based on the key forward’s potential, rather than his first-year impact.
The only time Judd finished outside the top three in what is now the John Worsfold Medal, named in honour of his first senior coach, was in 2007 when a groin injury ruined his year. He was sixth in what would be his final season at Subiaco Oval.
In his second year against Brisbane, the dominant force in the competition, he kicked five goals in the first half of a round 12 clash at the Gabba. It was a sublime display against an opposition that would later that season complete its hat-trick of premierships.
Daicos is the early favourite for the Brownlow Medal in his second season, but there is still plenty to play out between now and the Monday leading into the Grand Final. Judd was the Eagles first Brownlow medallist in his third season, 2004. He won another at Carlton in 2010.
And he was a premiership captain at West Coast in 2006. His credentials more than stack up.
