IF BRISBANE wants to tag Nick Daicos on Thursday night, good luck, says Collingwood coach Craig McRae.

The 22-year-old Magpies superstar is already the centrepiece of most opposition planning and again looms as a crucial cog in Thursday night's blockbuster against the reigning premier at the Gabba.

After renowned Sydney stopper James Jordon failed to quieten Daicos (34 disposals that included nine clearances) at Gather Round, McRae was asked whether he thought the Lions would try a similar approach.

"Nick's proving he's hard to tag, but most teams are trying," McRae said at Collingwood's captain's run on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'd be surprised if (Josh) Dunkley went to him, maybe he does at stoppage, I'm not sure."

Dunkley has traditionally been the player Brisbane turns to as a run-with option, but usually against bigger and stronger opponents like Marcus Bontempelli and Patrick Cripps.

When asked about his plans for Daicos earlier in the day, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was understandably coy.

"You can spend hours on him, he's in great form," Fagan said.

"We'll try some things tomorrow night to quell his influence. Whether that's with a tagger or not, I'm not 100 per cent sure on that. 

"Whatever you do you have to go in with a plan to minimise the effect and influence he can have on the game."

Collingwood heads to the Gabba after winning three straight times against the Lions, although McRae says he's not reading too much into that.

"I just think it's been two quality teams going at it in recent times," he said.

"We've had some cracking games. They're such a good team to watch and admire, with a lot of skill with the ball, their midfield's stacked, so lots of threats, and then obviously, when we get our game going too, it becomes an exciting game to watch.

"We come up here with great confidence."

Jordan De Goey will return after missing the win over the Swans with Achilles inflammation, while the Lions will unveil their third debutant for the season in Academy graduate Sam Marshall.