COLLINGWOOD young gun Nick Daicos is set to hold on to his No.35 jumper and carry on the legacy of his champion father, Peter.
Daicos stormed into the AFL this season with an incredible debut year that saw him crowned the NAB AFL Rising Star winner whilst wearing the famous No.35 guernsey that his dad Peter wore throughout his 250-game career with the Magpies.
For the past decade, Collingwood has bestowed the No.35 jumper to its first draftee every season as a tribute to former Magpies defender Simon Prestigiacomo, who selflessly ruled himself out of the 2010 Grand Final due to injury.
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It has seen the likes of Jamie Elliott, Brodie Grundy, Jordan De Goey, Jaidyn Stephenson and Isaac Quaynor all wear the number before Daicos as the club's first draft pick in their respective years, but it has been best known for the exploits of his father in his glittering career with the club.
Late this season Daicos, 19, had expressed his keenness to hold on to the No.35 jumper and continue to play in the jumper worn by his dad and it appears like the decade-long tradition will be broken for 2023 and beyond.
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Daicos, whose older brother Josh had a career-best season with the Magpies and was named in the All-Australian 44-player squad, was the No.4 pick at last year's draft.
Collingwood footy boss Graham Wright said No.35 would always hold special significance at the club.
"The number 35 is synonymous with tradition, history and reverence, encapsulating the contribution of Peter Daicos and the legacy of Simon Prestigiacomo," Wright said.
"Nick approached the club with his desire to continue to wear the number into the 2023 season and, after working through it internally, we have supported his decision."
Daicos said he was pleased to be able to honour the legacy of his father Peter and that of Simon Prestigiacomo.
"It is not lost on me what an honour it is to pull on the Collingwood jumper with the number 35 on the back and what this number means to the Magpie community," he said.
"'Presti' has gone down as one of the most selfless and professional players in the League and I could only hope to mirror his attributes for the remainder of my football career.
"The jumper also has a strong connection with my immediate family – it is the number I have worn since I was a child running around in junior football – and it is one that I always dreamed of wearing at the elite level and over the course of this year that link felt even stronger."
Collingwood's first pick at this year's draft is No.16, which will be made on Monday night.
