Collingwood have kicked off their 2026 pre-season training in style with a heavy skills-focused session at Olympic Park on Friday morning.
However, superstar midfielder Nick Daicos spent the entirety of the session away from the main group, completing light duties and running for the two-and-a-half hours spent on track.
Daicos began with sprints along the wings of Collingwood's training pitch, before moving on to solo disposal and goal-kicking drills with some of the Magpies' assistant coaches.
It indicates that Daicos is still gradually recovering from two injuries he suffered during Collingwood's September run that fell short in the preliminary final; a bone bruising on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, and a PCL injury, which occurred in the week leading up to the Lions clash.
It was reported in December that the 22-year-old would be eased back into training, with the mega-star undertaking just over 50 per cent of the pre-season training load before Christmas.
Speedster Beau McCreery was briefly seen, returning to running for the first time since undergoing a procedure on his foot in the off-season.
The 24-year-old's surgery has aimed to fix an issue in his foot that saw him play through pain in the 2025 Finals Series, though the Magpies are hopeful he can be fit and firing for a return to action by Opening Round, despite facing a shortened pre-season.
Bombers legend Dyson Heppell was among those spotted at Olympic Park, donning the Magpies logo for the first time as he begins his tenure as Collingwood's development coach. The retired 253-game Essendon star officially committed to the Magpies in the role for the 2026 season in December.
Dyson Heppell’s first day in black and white pic.twitter.com/Jx6np7zB5C
— Jen 🖤🤍 (@Jen2310) January 8, 2026
Heppell will continue to play for the Port Melbourne Borough in the VFL, however. He signed a two-year deal with the club following his retirement in 2024 and had a stellar debut campaign, averaging over 25 disposals per game.
