MICK Malthouse dared to place first-gamer Nathan Brown on Matthew Pavlich, which was risque enough, but will we see the sequel that sounds like a Bob Dylan album: Brown on Brown?

It appears tantamount to feeding a teenager to the Lions. To play on Pavlich at the MCG before 45,000 friends is a gentle stroll compared to confronting Jonathan Brown at the "Gabbatoir".

J.Brown is a great of the game — universally accepted as the game's premier forward. Six days ago, he smashed Darren Glass, the all-Australian full-back, despite heat exhaustion and his team's lack of other scoring options.

Kids are supposed to be protected, nurtured and given soft assignments while they're on AFL training wheels. They aren't meant to pick up the game's best and most physically-imposing power forward.

But Collingwood doesn't believe in child protection. The Magpies reckon if a kid is good enough, he plays.

Whereas most clubs are conservative with teenagers, Malthouse has shown a propensity to throw youngsters into the sea, with only the life jacket of the club's faith and that vast development coaching infrastructure.

"You might be surprised, but it means that they've got a lot of faith in the kid," said Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews of the N.Brown-Pavlich match-up. "Obviously, you don't try to give first gamers the hardest job on the field but … they did it and he did it well, so the kid's obviously a talent."

Malthouse is big on not giving players excuses to fail. "If you're in the side, it doesn't matter what you're age is," he said yesterday, when asked about the Brown-on-Brown possibilities. "We don't go on age and if you're a positional player that plays as a key back then your responsibilities are that you play on key forwards."

While Malthouse has never been one to give away his plans, we should not be shocked if the 19-year-old, one of the twin Browns of Ballarat (brother Mitchell is with West Coast), is given what would appear to be the game's most challenging assignment.

Actually, there is one job that appeals even less than playing on Jonathan Brown — standing in the "hole" in front of him, a mission only slightly less appetising than standing in front of Tony Lockett's leads during Plugger's reign of terror.

If kids seldom get thrown on to the gorillas such as Brown, Barry Hall, Cameron Mooney and Matthew Richardson, the Collingwood Brown is more physically-equipped than the vast majority of pimply teens, with a far larger frame than under-sized Hawk defender Zac Dawson, who was famously carved up by a succession of monsters in 2006.

Brown is the same height (195cm) as his decorated Lion namesake and, at 97 kilograms, with a lumberjack's upper body, isn't a middleweight.

"That's big, whether you're 18, 19 or 28," said Collingwood defensive coach Mark Neeld. "But you've got to be able to use it."

Brown succeeded on Pavlich, in part because he had help from seasoned team mates Shane Wakelin and Nick Maxwell and even Heath Shaw, each of whom has shown a willingness to stand in the hole and not flinch.

The Magpies acknowledge that Brown's effort in restricting Pavlich to one goal was a collective effort.

"Whether you're a first gamer or if you have played 250 AFL games and you're going out to play on an all-Australian centre half-forward, you're not going to succeed on your own," said Neeld. "Irrespective of first game, many games, you're going to be after some help from your close teammates."

There is a common thread binding the Collingwood youngsters whom Malthouse hands tasks that seem beyond P-platers. They are what the Magpies call "coachable" — willing to learn and follow orders.

Neeld said this was Brown's best trait. "He's the type of kid who sat down on Tuesday morning, watched the tape of him play on Pavlich and asked the questions 'how can I get better, how can I improve, was I doing the right things?'

"If we ask him to go and do something, he'll have a crack at it, and he's quite happy to put into practice whatever Mick wants him to put into practice."

Malthouse said Brown and/or Maxwell would "learn from the experience" if they manned J.Brown. There was less education on offer for Wakelin. "If it's the former (Wakelin), well, has he got a lot more to learn at 33? I don't know that he would want to see his backside kicked, but that's a pride thing."

For N.Brown, round one was more noteworthy for the fact it was his first time, than the quality of the conquest.

"He reacted that he was very excited to play his first game of league footy," said Neeld. "Like every player it was not necessarily, 'you know, I'm playing on Matthew Pavlich', it was 'I'm playing my first game for Collingwood'."

Neeld said whoever stood J.Brown, he would only succeed, as ever, if the Magpie midfielders did their bit.

"Irrespective of his opponent, if the delivery he gets is quality ball, it doesn't matter who we've got on him. He's going to go OK."

Jonathan Brown went more than "OK" on Glass, in a losing team. His opponent tonight could be a 33-year-old, a 24-year-old (Maxwell), a 21-year-old (Harry O'Brien) or Brown.

A younger opponent, such as Brown, would "learn from the experience", according to Malthouse, who, we can safely say, doesn't want his Brown to receive the proverbial football lesson.