COLLINGWOOD defender Ben Reid was quick to dismiss any lingering effects from a record breaking defeat on the eve of the finals, saying the prospect of next week's qualifying final against West Coast would focus the team as it looked to win successive premierships.
The Magpies were smashed by one of its main rivals for the flag, Geelong by 96 points. It was the Cats' biggest win over the Magpies and the largest defeat Collingwood has experienced since round seven, 2005 when it was defeated by Fremantle by 112 points.
But the in-form defender says the finals series is like a whole new season for the club. "We are very excited, this is what you play footy for, to play in September. Next week we get the chance to come out and play the footy that we really want to play," he said after the loss.
"It was disappointing to come out and play like that, but we have to straight away switch our mind to West Coast. There is a final next week and everybody knows how big that is. All of the boys' attention turns straight to that and we need to train well for that."
Collingwood lead by seven points at the first break before the Cats hit back with a 10-goal quarter in the second term, setting up the massive win. Reid rejected the idea that Collingwood players had gone into their shell in a bid to save themselves for the contest with the Eagles.
"When you are out there you still want to win the ball. I suppose it is in the back of your mind that you have a final next week and you don't want to do anything stupid, we just have to turn our heads and get ready for next week," Reid said.
"Full credit to Geelong, they came to play some fantastic footy and they moved the ball extremely well. We weren't able to counter that.
"They are a great side and everybody knows that, we know they are still a great side, they finished second and only lost three games for the year, there is no discounting how good they are, they came out and played some great footy against us and we were just not good enough."
In defence of its 2010 flag, Collingwood has put together one of its best seasons, losing just two games. But both of those losses have come at the hands of the Cats. Reid dismissed any suggestion this would give the Cats an advantage during the finals.
"You are going to have a loss every now and then and unfortunately we have had two and it's been against Geelong, that is how it has turned out. But that has happened in the home and away season, we are 20 and two, so we don't need to hear the alarm bells ringing. We just go into our final against West Coast and we have to prepare really well for that."
The 22-year-old was Collingwood's best player in the heavy defeat, standing up against an avalanche of Geelong attacks and keeping James Podsiadly to just two goals for the night. The Cats had 68 inside 50s to Collingwood's 35, creating a busy night for the Magpie defenders.
The Cats stretched the Collingwood defence with their tall forwards and the Magpies task was made more difficult during the third term when Chris Tarrant sprained his ankle and was subbed out of the match.
"It was a hard game to play in the back-end. The one thing you try and do is stand up as much as you can and you have to work as hard as you can when the ball comes down there and just never give up."
