Richmond will be the next side to attempt to tame Collingwood young gun Nick Daicos, with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick drawing comparisons between the star Magpie and AFL great Chris Judd on the eve of Friday's clash between the two Victorian clubs.
Daicos has shot into early Brownlow favouritism off the back of a stellar opening two weeks to commence his sophomore campaign, averaging 33.5 touches and one goal per game from dominant outings against Geelong and Port Adelaide.
The Power attempted to put the clamps on the 20-year-old by deploying Lachie Jones as a tagger in Round 2, only for Daicos to shake his man with ease on his way to best-afield honours.
While often utilised at half-back, Daicos has flexed his midfield and attacking acumen in roaming free and finding the ball, only adding some concern to each opposing coach that's tasked with weighing up how to negate the father-son Magpie.
Round 3 will see Hardwick and his Tigers attempt to cool Daicos' impact, with the three-time premiership coach confirming they'll attempt to tag Daicos while being mindful of Collingwood's long list of game winners.
"He's a very good player, but Collingwood have got a lot of very good players. We generally rely on the system to take care of it, we'll have contingencies and try and manage him as best we can," Hardwick said.
"He's gonna get the ball, no question. So do we allow him to play his game and try and manage it and try exploiting the other way? Probably.
"A lot of sides have tried, not many have succeeded. We'll be one of those. We'll give it a crack."
Hardwick could only draw a comparison to one player when it came to the effort and skill Daicos has provided for the Magpies to start his second season, that being two-time Brownlow Medal winner Chris Judd.
The Tigers coach recalled Judd's destruction of Port Adelaide in 2003, where the second-year Eagle recorded 26 disposals and peppered the goal-face five scoring shots in an eight-goal win to get his 2003 campaign off on the right foot.
"Probably the only one I think, this is a while back when I played, but I think Chris Judd came in with the same sort of pedigree," Hardwick noted.
"I think he played against us when I was playing for Port and kick four in a game and destroyed us.
"(Daicos) has been an incredible player. I don't think I've seen a better first year from any player. Then you think surely he couldn't back it up, and it seems he's gotten better again."
The Daicos dilemma won't be the only headache for Hardwick leading into Friday night's blockbuster, with the Tigers forced into at least four changes following their Round 2 win.
Midfield pair Dustin Martin (general soreness) and Jacob Hopper (knee) will miss this week's action but will be in the frame for Round 4, while defensive duo Jayden Short (calf) and Nathan Broad (suspension) are also sidelined.
Hardwick will have a handful of fringe players to choose from to face the Magpies, with Hugo Ralphsmith, Noah Cumberland, Tyler Sonsie, Judson Clarke, Jack Ross and Thomson Dow all taking part in Thursday's captain's run.
The Tigers' selection committee won't let the forecasted wet weather influence their decision-making for this week, with their tall contingent of Tom Lynch, Jack Riewoldt, Samson Ryan and Toby Nankervis still in line to combine against the Magpies, who are without ruck-forward Mason Cox for the coming rounds.
Ralphsmith firms as a likely option to plug a gap in Hardwick's rearguard, while Jack Ross and Tyler Sonsie will be in the frame as further midfield assistance.
Veteran Trent Cotchin is likely to see his midfield minutes spike after sharing his time in attack to start this season, while Shai Bolton may also be thrown into the middle to potentially allow the likes of Cumberland and Clarke to secure spots at selection.
Richmond and Collingwood will go head-to-head at the MCG on Friday night, with the match to commence at 7:50pm (AEDT).
