Old rivals Richmond and Collingwood clash at the MCG on Saturday afternoon in a big Round 16 battle.

Here are some burning questions that could determine the result of the game.

How do the Tigers slow down Nick Daicos?

Most conversations around Collingwood start with how to slow down Nick Daicos, with the midfielder enjoying another strong season. 

Daicos is leading the AFL Coaches’ Association votes, with Adem Yze relishing the opportunity Richmond’s youngsters have on Saturday to run around with one of the competition’s best players. 

“He is a superstar of the game. Watching him on the weekend [against Port], every time he touches the ball, something happens,” Yze said of Daicos.

“This could be an opportunity for one of our younger guys to run around with him. I know Sam Grlj, he will want to do it, and it could be an opportunity for that. 

“Go and learn off the best, work out what it is to read the play and run hard. He keeps showing up, Nick, and his consistency is exactly what we want our younger players to aspire to.”

Can Tigers control Magpies’ marking game?

An area of strength for Collingwood is its control of the game via its kick-mark strategy, something Richmond saw first-hand against North Melbourne last week.

The Magpies are second in the AFL for marks per game at 102.7 and lead the competition in uncontested possessions per game at 247.3. 

In the opening term last week, the Kangaroos were able to get on top of the Tigers through a similar blueprint, something Yze noted after the match.

"Starting the game with allowing 48 uncontested marks, or whatever it was in the first quarter, set the tone for what the game was going to be,” Yze said.

"Spending so much time on defence, then you finally win the ball back and then (you don't) have any energy to take that risk. We want to do it. We want to play fast when we need to play fast.” 

There’s no doubt Richmond has worked hard on shutting down Collingwood’s preferred method of play this week, and it will be an important aspect in the final result. 

How do young Tigers embrace the big occasion? 

As Richmond continues its exciting regeneration journey, MCG games against arch-rivals, who are fighting for finals, hold an extra layer of importance.

Speaking on Friday, Yze acknowledged how he has challenged his young Tigers to embrace the occasion of being able to play September spoilers for rivals, and learn what it takes to perform under pressure.  

"We've got nine rounds to really shape the [finals]...that's part of our motivation and I'll be driving that," Yze said.

"When you don't have the opportunity to play finals, you want to shape the finals.

"Creating pressure around performance and building the game up, we love Dreamtime and Anzac Day Eve, the spotlight is brighter. When we are coming up against teams fighting for a position in the finals and we get a chance to deny that, I'm going to put that pressure on them.

"Our younger players need to learn through that and understand what it's going to be like when we are pushing for finals. We will be testing ourselves this weekend."