Collingwood Explores Peter Daicos Role as Salary Cap Debate Grows
Collingwood is discussing a possible ambassador role for peter daicos, and the idea has already drawn sharp pushback from AFL greats who say it could be used to work around the salary cap. The debate has also pulled Nick Daicos back into the frame, with Tasmania due to enter the competition in 2028 and Nick Daicos contracted at Collingwood until 2029.
Peter Daicos at Collingwood
Caroline Wilson said conversations about looking after Peter Daicos were happening behind closed doors at Collingwood between senior club people. She said Peter Daicos saw his image on a massive billboard in a heritage jumper in Melbourne before last year’s best and fairest, then contacted the club and was remunerated for the billboard with the heritage jumper.
Wilson also said Collingwood leaders and Daicos management had discussed sending Peter Daicos to Adelaide for dinner with a group of coterie people. She added there had also been a suggestion to pay him on a retainer to be an ambassador for the footy club.
Riewoldt and Cornes Push Back
Nick Riewoldt and Kane Cornes shut down the suggestion that Collingwood should be able to pay Peter Daicos as an ambassador of the club. Their view was that such a move would amount to a way around the salary cap, and Cornes and Riewoldt said it could help Collingwood retain Peter’s sons Nick and Josh at the club.
Craig Hutchison put the pressure point plainly, asking: “Are they (Collingwood) missing a trick in not really looking after Peter Daicos the way they should in advance of that decision?” Wilson answered: “It’s funny you should say that, because that’s a conversation that’s being carried out at Collingwood behind closed doors between some of the most senior Collingwood people.”
Tasmania Looms in 2028
The backdrop is Tasmania’s entry into the competition in 2028, when the Devils are due to arrive with concessions that include money outside the salary cap for marquee recruits. That opens the door to a bigger offer for Nick Daicos, while Peter Daicos has already been involved in club-related commercial and hospitality discussions.
For Collingwood, the issue is not just whether Peter Daicos should be paid as an ambassador. It is whether any family-linked arrangement becomes part of the wider fight to keep Nick and Josh Daicos in black and white through 2029 and beyond.
