An unbackable favourite at $1.01 in some markets for the game's most coveted individual prize, Daicos is key to the Magpies' bid to advance from a wildcard finals clash with the Western Bulldogs.
On Tuesday night, the silky-skilled match-winner kicked off awards season with a special double to underline his status as the game's most influential player.
Daicos won the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players Association's player of the season and was named the AFL Coaches Association's champion player of the year.
It was the second time Daicos had won each award, but the first time he had claimed them in the same season, becoming just the sixth player to do so.
Gary Ablett Jr (2007-09), Dane Swan (2010), Patrick Dangerfield (2016), Dustin Martin (2017) and Lachie Neale (2020) also did the double.
Ablett (2009), Dangerfield, Martin and Neale all went on to claim the Brownlow Medal in the same season.
Daicos is widely tipped to follow suit, and was named in the All-Australian team for the fourth time in his five seasons since following brother Josh to Collingwood as a father-son draft pick, thanks to the great Peter Daicos.
"I've heard him called a magician before and he actually is," McRae said of Nick on Kayo Sports.
"He's had a remarkable year. It's hard to believe that he could have a better year than what he did last year.
"He just keeps going to new levels and you see some of the footage, his running capability is obscene.
"And better than that, he's a great young man that's leading our club really well."
Daicos has averaged a career-best 34.9 disposals this season and has kicked 24 goals in 22 appearances - more than one per game for the first time.
McRae said Daicos's ability to hit the scoreboard more often was a key difference this season, while also lauding the young gun's leadership with senior players out injured.
"He's been sort of thrust into it with (captain) Darcy Moore out," McRae said.
"Brayden Maynard and him (Daicos) have been doing it for the bulk of the year and now Bruzzy (Maynard) is out now as well.
"All of a sudden this 23-year-old is not only tossing the coin, he's leading us in so many different ways.
"We've seen enormous growth in that part of him as well."
McRae revealed he had used vision of a mic'd up Daicos on the field as a learning tool for his Magpies playing group.
"He was so present to the game and in tune with what was happening around him," McRae said.
"Then there was just the odd, 'Come on, this is not good enough, we need to get busy now.'
"On top of that some of the celebrations for our young team in that week was really obvious."
Daicos will again feature as stand-in captain against the Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night and has revelled in the leadership role.
"It occurred through unfortunate events with Darce and Bruzzy being injured, but I feel like it's been a great opportunity for me and something I've really relished," Daicos said on stage at Melbourne's Centrepiece on Tuesday night.
"We pride ourselves on having a great array of leadership at the club ... and I felt really well supported.
"These opportunities to run out on the 'G with my best mates and compete for that one prize that we all want is something that's very special to me."
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