Track watch: Josh and Nick Daicos draw closer to Collingwood training returns as young duo impress; Lions star recovering well from surgery

Collingwood star Darcy Cameron says the Daicos brothers are both edging closer to full training as he hopes Mason Cox will continue to partner him in the ruck in 2025.

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Cox has flown home to the US for family reasons this week as Cameron offered his support to the tall, who played second fiddle in a ruck-forward role for six goals from 16 games last season.

The 211cm veteran will face competition from not only a squeeze on forward line spots created by the arrival of Tim Membrey from St Kilda but also from 21-year-old specialist ruck Oscar Steene, who was impressive in the air during match simulation on Wednesday and also ran strongly during a 400m effort at the end of a drill.

Steene, who signed a one-year deal for 2025 towards the end of last season after a toe injury wiped out his entire campaign, ran towards the front of a pack led by Isaac Quaynor, whose conditioning looked closer to the levels that spurred his career-best 2023 campaign.

Cameron said Steene, still untried at senior level, had impressed him in drills along with last year’s mid-season recruit Iliro Smit.

“ (Steene) is looking really good at the moment – he’s put on a bit of size, he’s running really well,” Cameron said.

“So is big Roo – Iliro Smit – they’re both doing really well at the moment.

“We haven’t really spoken much (about ruck plans) just yet, but hopefully what it looked like last year – I feel like I work really well with Mason, but that’s not my call at the end of the day.

“(Cox) has been training really well this pre-season, and my love goes out to him and his family at the moment.”

Josh Daicos (calf) appeared briefly during Wednesday’s training session for some light work along with star midfielder Jordan De Goey, but Nick Daicos was confined inside as he continued to recover from what the Magpies declared a “mild” case of plantar fasciitis.