Collingwood coach Craig McRae will be ‘surprised’ if Lions tag Nick Daicos in Gabba showdown

Collingwood coach Craig McRae has wished the Lions the best of luck if they put a tagger on Magpies superstar Nick Daicos in Thursday night’s Gabba showdown. Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said on Wednesday that he was “unsure” if the Lions would tag Daicos but that they needed to “quell” the midfield sensation’s influence. Sydney’s attempt to tag the 22-year-old onballer last Friday night failed miserably, with Daicos securing 34 possession despite the attention renowned stopper James Jordon in Collingwood’s 31-point Gather Round win over the Swans at Adelaide Oval. “Nick’s proving he’s hard to tag but most teams are trying,” McRae said following the Magpies’ Captain’s Run at the Gabba on Wednesday. The Magpies coach said he would be “surprised” if Brisbane’s defensive midfielder Josh Dunkley “went to” Daicos. “Maybe he does at stoppages,” McRae said. As for any plans Collingwood has to tag Lions co-captain and two-time Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, McRae wouldn’t give too much away. “ We’ve got a few things up our sleeve,” he said. The Lions haven’t lost since being beaten by the Magpies by one point at the MCG in Round 23 last season. It was Collingwood’s third successive win over Brisbane, but McRae played down any major dominance his side had over the reigning premiers. “It’s just two quality teams going at it in recent times. We’ve had some cracking games,” he said. “They’re such a good team to watch and admire … (but) we come up here with great confidence.” McRae said the Lions’ ability to fight back from significant deficits this season to win games proved they were coping with the “premiership tax” his side faced last season after winning the flag in 2023 and then being targeted. The Magpies perhaps didn’t cope with the extra attention as they failed to play finals football last year. “Everyone wants to get themselves ready to play you,” McRae said. “It’s showed in the early part of the season with the Lions being behind at half-time (on four occasions) that it’s real. “We faced that too. There is a natural tax that comes with that, but the Lions are such a good team, they’ve be finding ways to win.” The Magpies will welcome back star midfielder Jordan De Goey, who missed his side’s win over the Swans with ankle and Achilles problems. “Jordy will play. He’s still a work in progress,” McRae said. “He’s an important player to us. He has an ‘X factor’.”

Collingwood coach Craig McRae will be ‘surprised’ if Lions tag Nick Daicos in Gabba showdown

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