Hawthorn midfielder Finn Maginness has detailed in-depth his tagging triumph over Collingwood father-son dynamo Nick Daicos last Saturday.
Maginness and the Hawks staged a remarkable upset victory over the Magpies on Saturday afternoon, storming to a 32-point win as Collingwood slumped to a second-straight loss.
While Hawthorn sits in 16th position on the ladder and is firmly in a rebuilding phase, the young Hawks, led by burgeoning senior coach Sam Mitchell, have troubled many teams this season and claimed surprising scalps, none more shocking than Saturday's.
Speaking via SEN on Monday morning, Maginness detailed his preparation for the all-important matchup with Collingwood's Brownlow-contending utility.
"It was a pretty normal week, I knew straight away that after the game the week before that I'd be going to Nick, so I had plenty of time to look forward to the game," said Maginness.
"It was a game that I'd had pencilled in for a while.
"Obviously, as a tagger, you want to play against the best players, Nick being in great form, so I felt prepared and was ready to go. I think the whole football club was really keen for the game, everyone wants to play against the top side (Collingwood), at the 'G, Saturday [afternoon], doesn't really get too much better than that."
"I watched a lot of vision, which you'd expect, just the last couple of games. I think (Port Adelaide's) Willem Drew did a really underrated job on Nick Daicos a few weeks prior, so I watched a bit of that game and tried to get an understanding of the way they play.
"I just try to go in with a clear mind [and with] a few clear focuses, and it just helps to really simplify the job."
Magpies legend Nathan Buckley quizzed Maginness about whether the 22-year-old has any 'anxieties' about critical matchups with the league's most influential stars.
"Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get nervous," admitted Maginness.
"I do get pretty anxious because everyone sort of knows how you've [played recently], you can't let any quarter slip (against the Pies) because they could get a hold of you, but I think just knowing that the team just expects effort from me, that's all the coaches ask for, they just want effort and intensity, that's all I can control, so I just try to control the 'controllables'.
"[I] just have simple goals going into the game, then if I execute them, that's all I can really do, and then also having teammates that help me and just knowing that it gives them spirit and a bit of energy, that's all I really focus on."
Explaining his relationship with second-year coach Mitchell, Maginness claimed his communication with his mentor is strong.
"I speak to Sam, I've got really great communication with Sam, he just tells me what he expects of me, how tight he wants the tag, how he wants me to play it, so I'll just go into the game with complete clarity, and that's one thing that 'Mitch' is really good at as a coach," Maginness continued.
"On game day, you know exactly what he wants from you, so he's made it really clear for me what's expected of me."
Renowned former tagger Kane Cornes asked Maginness if the Magpies players went after him to try and repel the close attention the Hawk was paying Daicos.
"They did come after me at stages," revealed Maginness. "Josh Daicos, obviously, as any brother would, tried to stand up for Nick a bit, and a few other players came after me, but we knew it'd be a physical contest, which it was, so I don't think we can say they didn't (go after me) at all.
"It was probably at stages when it got heated and there was a period there in the third quarter where it did boil over, so it was good to see our boys show a bit of fight back."
Daicos ultimately exited Saturday's contest after sustaining a hairline fracture in his right knee; it has since been revealed the young superstar will miss at least six weeks, representing not only a dent to his Brownlow chances but to the Pies' flag hopes.
Maginness was also pressed for his thoughts on captain and star defender James Sicily, with the midfielder stating his skipper 'is not what he's like' on the field away from it.
"James is one of those guys where what you see on the field is not what he's like around the club," said Maginness. "Around the club he's so calm [and] respectful but on the field he's fiery, and that's what I love about him.
"He loves the big moments and he wants to take them with both hands, he loves the footy in his hands, that's what makes him such a great player. He's such a good leader [with] his knowledge of the game and his communication with the players around him.
"He's been a great leader and he's been so important for us over the last couple of years but especially the last few weeks."
Cheekily posed the early question of whether he'll be tasked with trying to deter Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli this weekend, Maginness wasn't fooled into giving anything away.
"I've actually got no clue (yet), I haven't even been into the club yet," Maginness laughed. "So [I] can't say, and I wouldn't reveal [my matchup in advance] anyway."
Hawthorn meets the Western Bulldogs next Sunday afternoon in Tasmania.
