Nick Daicos Escapes Suspension Over Controversial Gut Punch on Carlton’s Blake Acres
In the high-stakes world of Australian Rules Football, where every touch can tip the scales of justice, Collingwood’s prodigious talent Nick Daicos has once again danced on the edge of controversy without tumbling over. The 20-year-old midfield maestro, already the frontrunner for the 2023 Brownlow Medal in just his second AFL season, escaped suspension following a gut-wrenching incident involving Carlton’s wingman Blake Acres during a fiery Round 10 clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. What unfolded was a stark reminder of the AFL’s inconsistent grip on player conduct: a blatant strike reduced to a mere financial slap on the wrist.
The match on May 21, 2023, pitted two arch-rivals against each other in a thriller that saw Collingwood edge out Carlton by 14 points, consolidating their ladder lead. Daicos, son of Magpies legend Peter Daicos and brother to fellow Pie Josh, was in vintage form, racking up 29 disposals and a goal to cap a dominant performance. But it was a moment in the third quarter that ignited post-game fury. As the pair jostled off the ball—a common sight in the heated Blues-Pies derbies—Daicos delivered a sharp, open-handed jab directly to Acres’ midsection. The Carlton player crumpled to the turf in exaggerated agony, clutching his stomach as if felled by a heavyweight boxer. Commentators Brian Taylor and Tim Watson, broadcasting for Channel Seven, were quick to flag the danger: “That’s probably a fine, depending on how they grade the severity,” Watson noted, while Taylor warned it could spell trouble for a Brownlow fancy.
Footage replayed ad nauseam across networks showed the strike in unflinching detail: Daicos’ right arm extending with intent, connecting squarely with Acres’ torso. Acres, no stranger to physical contests at 27, recovered swiftly, rising to continue play without apparent injury. Yet the optics were damning—a young star, under pressure from Sydney’s tagging attempts in prior weeks, resorting to what critics decried as a “cowardly gut punch.” Social media erupted, with fans and pundits drawing parallels to past precedents. Just weeks earlier, Essendon’s Jye Caldwell had slugged Daicos himself during Anzac Day, escaping with a fine for a low-impact strike. And who could forget Geelong’s Tom Hawkins, suspended in 2020 for a jumper punch on Adelaide’s Matt Crouch? That case was meant to signal zero tolerance for such aggression, yet here was Daicos, seemingly afforded leniency befitting his golden-boy status.
Enter the Match eview Officer (MRO), Michael Christian, whose Monday morning verdict on May 22 sent shockwaves through the league. Classifying the act as intentional but “low impact” with negligible injury risk, Christian offered Daicos a $3,000 fine—reduced to $2,000 with an early guilty plea—leaving him free to face North Melbourne in Round 12 unscathed. No suspension meant no Brownlow ineligibility, preserving Daicos’ lead in predictors ahead of Marcus Bontempelli and Christian Petracca. ESPN hailed it as a lifeline for the “young gun,” who had already shouldered Collingwood’s resurgence from perennial also-rans to premiership contenders.
The decision, however, wasn’t without backlash. On Reddit’s r/AFL forum, users vented frustration: “I’m shocked—shocked!—that yet another Brownlow favourite avoids suspension for an incident that could draw a week,” one top comment read, amassing over 100 upvotes. Pundits like ESPN’s AFL columnists lamented the AFL’s faltering crusade against “unnecessary macho aggression,” arguing the league’s soft grading undermined efforts to clean up the game. Why fine when a precedent screams for a ban? Defenders pointed to context: a “flurry of little hits” exchanged between the combatants, with Daicos’ punch lacking the force to truly wind Acres, who popped up unfazed. In a sport where tagging is as ritualistic as the pre-match siren, some saw it as par for the course—raw physicality in a powder-keg derby.
For Daicos, the reprieve was poetic. At 20, he’s not just playing; he’s redefining Magpies midfield dominance, averaging 28 disposals and evading roughhouse tactics with balletic grace. His escape keeps the Brownlow dream alive, a medal that would etch the Daicos name deeper into Collingwood lore. Yet it raises thornier questions: Does star power shield the elite? In an era of concussion protocols and player welfare, can the AFL afford such selective justice? As the Pies chase September glory, Daicos’ punch lingers not as a scar, but a symbol—of talent’s privilege and the game’s unyielding gray areas.
Meanwhile, Carlton stewed. Acres, stoic in interviews, downplayed the hit but hinted at the Blues’ resolve to match fire with fire. Their season, already teetering, needed no extra fuel. For now, Daicos sprints on, unburdened. But in footy’s unforgiving theater, tomorrow’s tag could demand tomorrow’s reckoning
