Seven out of the last eight Brownlow Medal podiums have featured one or both of this new pair and in 2027 they’ll both be wearing black and white.

In an off-season window mooted for dynamic duos being created in the midfield, the Lachie Neale-Nick Daicos combo was the first to go through when free agency opened last Friday, tantalising Pies fans ahead of what the rest of the 2020s could look like.

Where Hawthorn now sport Merrett-Day or Merrett-Newcombe, take your pick, and the Bulldogs are set to saddle Butters and Bontempelli up alongside each other, the Magpies were eager not to be outdone, combining two of the best centre clearance players in the league.

Neale, who last week arrived at the KGM Centre and sat down with collingwoodfc.com.au, said he’d already been in contact with his new midfield partner and was eager to develop a reciprocal relationship of tip sharing.

“I’ve already spoken to Nick (Daicos) a couple of times about how he thinks we can improve and what I might be able to bring and do for the Club as well,” he said.

“It’s going to be great to play with Nick and not have to chase him. I still see that footage of me chasing him in the middle of the MCG where he kicked a pretty nice goal a couple of years ago far too often.

“Hopefully I can be on his highlight reel giving him the ball or something rather than chasing him.

“I’ll be able to learn a lot from Nick and hopefully I can teach him a thing or two.

“There’s probably not too much I can teach him. But hopefully I can teach the younger guys about the midfield craft and maybe Nick will learn a thing or two as well.”

Between them, they own three of this decade’s Brownlows, a combined eight Club B&Fs and All Australian jackets, four flags and three Leigh Matthews trophies.

It’s quite the list, and the younger of the pair is eager to lean on his new partner’s decade-longer experience in the league.

“I’ve loved watching him for a number of years and always marvelled at his clearance work and contested work,” Daicos said following his Copeland Trophy triumph.

“He’s won two Brownlows and just been a star for 10 to 15 years so I’m really keen to pick his brain.

“He’s come from the most successful team over the last five to 10 years so he’s going to be an awesome addition and I know he loves to win so that’ll be great.

“We’ve got everything we need, it’s on us as players to get better.”

With two of the Pies’ past three best and fairests in his back pocket and his maiden league top gong now also in his trophy cabinet, you could forgive Daicos for feeling there are few areas of improvement in his game.

But the 23-year-old said after using the past month the rejuvenate, he is already resuming his training, intent on maximising what he already has and refining some of the deficiencies in his game.

“I think I can get a lot better to be honest. I think it starts in my pre-season, I want to be really consistent and make sure I’m on the park as much as I can,” he said.

“I’ve sort of had interrupted pre-seasons the last few years, so nothing crazy but I just want to make sure I’m training consistently and doing that in a group environment .

“Making sure I’m making my teammates better, I just enjoy doing it with them much more anyway, it’s always a good laugh.

“The continuity in training and body work next year will hold me in good stead and also so many areas like my marking, my tackling, there’s a few areas that I’ll hone in.

“I’ve let myself have a good break. I’ve been in a lot this week and as Fly said, there’s been a great energy amongst the group and there’s a lot of boys in there.

“I feel super excited, I’ve had a good break and feel like I’m really ready to get into training now and I know that vibe is spread amongst the group.”

He’ll be buoyed by having Neale alongside him to do that.

The 33-year-old believes his efforts on the training track, setting standards for his teammates, are among his greatest traits and will be bringing them to the KGM Centre this November.

A self-confessed ‘footy head’, Neale has an insatiable desire to be the best player he can and is eager to bring that mindset to his third AFL club.

“I think my biggest trait is I love training, I love getting to work and I love getting better,” he said.

“I love bringing people along for that journey and for me I am a bit of a footy head.

“I don’t know what it is but inside my brain I just have this weird appetite to be the best that I can be.

“I spoke about it a little bit before but brining others along on that journey and trying to get them better (is important).

“I’ve just got something in my head that makes me want to be great and hopefully I can do that here at Collingwood and just have an appetite to work hard and get better each and every year.

“I feel like I’ve done that most of my career and there’s no reason why I can’t do that for the next few years as well.”