Collingwood Forever

His debut year saw him given a limited taste of senior football, but he was generally unremarkable.

A winger and a half-forward who nailed down a senior place in the latter part of 2002. He played in the 2002 and 2003 Grand Final sides and gained something of a cult following with his rat’s tail haircut proving popular with fans.

He posed a danger to opposing defences in 2004 despite chances drying up as Collingwood struggled.

He had a brilliant 2006 and was always a menace in the forward 50. Even when his team tapered off he was still a potent force and it was no surprise when he won the best and fairest as well as being named as an All-Australian. At the end of the season it was found that he had badly damaged a knee which required major surgery. He returned in 2007, but was hampered by minor injuries until he turned on an excellent finals series.

Along the way he had been the centre of controversy in a handful of off-field incidents that put his place at the club in jeopardy. Didak and teammate Heath Shaw were suspended by the club for the final six matches of the 2008 season, but he still managed to finish seventh in the best and fairest.

He roared back into form the following year and was considered unlucky to miss an All-Australian berth, but a flat finals series saw him receive exaggerated criticism in the media.

Didak claimed his second All-Australian birth in 2010 and battled through the final five games of the season with a badly damaged pectoral muscle. He kicked a magical goal in the Qualifying Final win over the Western Bulldogs but was largely nullified by St Kilda’s Steven Baker in the drawn Grand Final.

He enjoyed a fine game in the replay, kicking a memorable goal on his non-preferred right boot after smothering a Jason Blake kick out of defence.

His 2011 season was ravaged by injuries and that trend continued in 2012 and 2013, meaning senior appearances were minimal in his twilight years.