The Magpies might have notched a much needed live Aussie rules 14.13 (97) to 10.13 (73) win over Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but they are still playing way under their full potential and will need to improve before Wednesday's big Anzac Day clash with unbeaten Essendon.

After the huge loss to Carlton and missing a few key players through injury you can say that there were some signs of improvement for Collingwood. The win came mainly due to a dominant first quarter, which put them 33 points clear but they still have a lot of room to improve too; they are still not rated confidently by the Aussie rules betting community.

The pressure the Pies put on the Power was much greater than what they applied to the Blues last week but it was far from perfect.

They still have a lot more left in the tank and are probably only playing to 60-70% of what they are actually capable of. It is still early days of the campaign and improvements in the player’s fitness; the team’s structure and personnel will all come with more games that are played.

With injuries to Luke Ball, Ben Reid, Dale Thomas and Heath Shaw and a public spat between president Eddie McGuire and ex-coach Mick Malthouse, the Magpies had a tough week ahead of them. After their thrashing at the hands of Carlton it will have been a relief to play another game so soon. The senior players will also have had a steadying influence on the team, which will have contributed to their weekend win.

Playing back to games again might just be an advantage for them going into the game on Wednesday and on the back of a victory, the players will certainly be looking forward to it!