Collingwood's interim coach Robert Harvey described his team's performance as an "aberration" after it conceded back-to-back seven-goal quarters in the middle of the match.

"This was the one we just didn’t fight back," Harvey said.

"I know we’ve got a lot of young kids in the team, but in the end, we’d obviously like to be more competitive than that.

“They are obviously a really hardened, experienced team that is finals bound, but we pride ourselves on being better, fighting it out.

“The players are really hurting obviously. They are proud guys, to see them like they are now is really disappointing and we’ve got a week to go to make sure that is an aberration and we put our best foot forward next week.’’

Harvey said Trey Ruscoe's ankle injury, which saw him subbed out late in the third quarter, was on the lower end of the scale.