Collingwood’s scientific put-away of reigning premiers Geelong on Friday evening belied the emotional backdrop of the loss of life of Stan Daicos, grandfather to younger stars Josh and Nick, and a sickening damage to vice-captain and stalwart Jeremy Howe.
The Daicos boys spent Thursday with their mother and father Peter and Colleen on the elder Daicos’s funeral, bypassing the captain’s run, and performed on Friday evening sporting black armbands and with rose petals of their boots, which on the remaining siren they positioned within the centre circle.
Nick Daicos of the Magpies on the MCG.Credit score:Getty
“It’s been actually robust for us – we had the funeral yesterday. Tonight’s sport was in honour of him,” Nick advised Fox Footy. Added Josh: “It’s been a extremely robust week for the household. It’s been actually robust for us however tonight made all of it price it.”
Peter was in what had been joyful Collingwood rooms after the sport, hugging each boys and placing an ebullient entrance on what was little doubt a heavy coronary heart. Terribly, Nick and Josh had been each amongst Collingwood’s greatest because the Pies overran the Cats.
Coach Craig McRae blinked again tears when requested about their efficiency underneath duress. “It makes me a bit emotional,” he stated. “We’ve bought to take care of our personal. They’re human beings. It goes past the boundary line. They’re two of our most essential gamers and younger males and we wish to put our arms round them.”
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McRae additionally felt keenly for Howe, who landed closely from a trademark leap within the third quarter, breaking his arm and necessitating a protracted halt within the sport till he was eliminated on a motorised stretcher and brought to hospital.
McRae confirmed he had a forearm fracture and would in all probability have surgical procedure on Saturday. “He’s such an essential participant. He’s the vice-captain,” he stated. “All of us love him. While you see one of many good guys go down, you suppose that there’s going to be a price someplace.”
Because it transpired, after falling 4 objectives behind, Collingwood lifted to carry Geelong goalless within the final quarter and kick 5 of their very own to romp away with the win, kicking their highest rating for 5 years.
