Collingwood has cleared the remaining payments on Brodie Grundy’s contract, a move that has freed cap space and set the club up to pursue high-end targets — and the name Nick Daicos does not appear in the club’s public outline of that financial reshuffle.
Grundy Payout Clears Up To $700, 000 From Books
The club moved at the end of last year to offload the remaining portion of Grundy’s blockbuster deal, removing what is believed to have been up to $700, 000 from its salary cap obligations for the next two years. That repayment finishes an arrangement that dated back to Grundy’s trade away from the club and was scheduled to run through the end of 2027.
Collingwood has also recently finished contributing an annual amount of around $300, 000 toward another former player’s contract, a payment that reached its fifth and final year last season. Those two clearances together have noticeably reduced commitments on the club’s books.
Nick Daicos Not Mentioned As Collingwood Targets Game’s A-Graders
The cleared money is being described as giving the Magpies space to pursue top players this year after a period of tighter list management. Collingwood’s chief executive forecast the salary cap was in a strong position to target the game’s best names, and the club has placed several high-profile free agents on its radar.
The players identified as potential targets include Zak Butters, Ben King and Zac Bailey. Collingwood was also among three clubs that met with a Gold Coast player exploring a move to Victoria; that player remains contracted through to the end of 2028. Those recruitment moves are being framed as enabled by the recent cap-clearing actions.
While the club’s financial housekeeping and stated targets have been outlined publicly, the list of moves and targets released alongside the payout does not reference Nick Daicos. The absence of his name from the club’s described transactions and targets is notable amid renewed speculation about list activity.
What Changed And What It Means For List Strategy
By extinguishing the remaining Grundy payments, Collingwood has removed a multi-year liability that would otherwise have been carried into future salary cap seasons. That shift is expected by the club to allow more aggressive recruitment this year than was possible while those payments remained on the books.
The club’s cleared commitments, combined with the end of earlier external contributions, create a clearer financial runway to pursue established, high-end players. The published targets and the meeting activity with a contracted Gold Coast player illustrate that the club is actively exploring additions rather than remaining in a wait-and-see stance on the market.
For now, the confirmed developments are the payout of the Grundy contract, the previously completed contributions toward another former player’s deal, and the club’s expressed intention to chase major talent — none of which included any mention of Nick Daicos in the material outlining those steps. Further moves and official list announcements are expected as the club assesses opportunities in the coming weeks.
