Collingwood’s premiership hopes have taken a blow, with Brownlow Medal contender Nick Daicos ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury after the Magpies’ upset loss to Hawthorn on Saturday night.
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In a statement on Sunday morning, Collingwood’s general manager of football Graham Wright said Daicos underwent scans following the game, which revealed a “hairline fracture in the lateral tibial plateau of the right knee joint”.
It comes as defender Nathan Murphy was ruled out for two to three weeks with a low-grade syndesmosis injury in his right ankle.
“Nick has been seen by a specialist knee surgeon this morning and, while fortunately this does not require an operation, it will need time to heal before he returns to football,” Wright said.
“At this stage, the expected time frame for Nick is six weeks.
“Both Nathan and Nick have played important roles this season, they are consummate professionals and will do all they can to progress though their rehab to make themselves available and we will support them through that recovery.”
Daicos was a frontrunner for the Brownlow Medal this year, having had a standout second year averaging 31 disposals a game in the middle of the ground.
A return in six weeks leaves his year precariously placed – it would rule him out of the remainder of the home-and-away season, and would see him return in the second week of finals, which Collingwood will likely make with a top-four finish all but certain.