leaving a single stone unturned as the 21-year-old looks to lift his struggling side
out of a four-game losing streak. The Pies’ premiership defence is in tatters
after yet another monumental defeat last weekend, a 66-point loss to Hawthorn.
The reigning premiers sit 13th on the AFL ladder, six points outside the top
eight, and look a shadow of the team that charged to last year’s flag. But despite
last weekend’s flogging, Daicos continues to stand out in a losing side with a goal
and 24 disposals display against the Hawks.
Breust was a key member of Hawthorn’s triple premiership side between 2013 and 2015, and similar to Daicos was a
young star during their brilliant three-peat. And Breust revealed the Pies
youngster was keen to seek out his insight and experience after the game.
The Magpies play cellar dwellers Richmond this weekend before facing second-placed Carlton, leaders Sydney
away, third-placed Brisbane and fellow finals aspirants Melbourne and will need
wins in each match to keep their finals hopes alive. And after the loss to
Hawthorn, Daicos took the hunt for answers into his own hands, seeking out
Hawks veteran Luke Breust after the game for advice.
“I had a really good chat with Nick Daicos there at the end of the game and
he just couldn’t believe how we did it consistently in ‘13, ‘14, ‘15,” Breust told
the ABC. “He’s like, ‘Boy, you’re the hunted’. And that’s the difference.
“Being the hunted is hard — we found it difficult at times (in) a couple of our
(premiership) years where you start 4-4 and you really start to second-guess
yourself and the brand of footy you’re playing, opposition start to work you out.
So, you’ve got to continually evolve and try to stay ahead of the competition.”
