The Power were well in the contest during the first and third quarters, but could not go with the Magpies, who found another gear to rattle home with 10 of the last 11 goals of the match to set up the 24.11 (155) to 12.8 (80) win.
Port threw out a stern challenge to the reigning premiers early and held a surprise one-point lead just over halfway through the first term, but the Pies scored three goals in quick succession late in the quarter to dent the visitors' confidence.
Everything that made Collingwood the powerhouse side of 2010 was on display in the second term as Chris Dawes and Travis Cloke made the most of the midfield toil of Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and Ben Johnson after the well-drilled defence had forced turnover after turnover.
Seven goals in succession had Port coach Matthew Primus trying in vain to plug the multiple gaps in his back half as the lead blew out to 58 points, but two late goals at least stemmed the flow.
The third quarter will be the period that both coaches focus on, albeit for vastly different reasons, in their Monday review.
Primus abandoned his loose-man-in-defence strategy and engineered one-on-one contests inside his forward 50 that stymied the Pie defenders' ability to zone off and create run.
The resultant confusion allowed Port to slam through eight of the nine goals scored in the period between late in the second term and 22 minutes into the third, by which time the Power trailed by just 16 points, with Justin Westhoff and Matt Thomas key factors in the rally.
But a piece of Andrew Krakouer magic saw him score a brilliant goal that was the first of six in succession that put the game well beyond the reach of Port Adelaide.
Influential players
Dane Swan picked up right where he left off at the end of last season with his powerhouse 34-possession performance driving the Pies' midfield throughout. Primus paid the price for gambling on going without a direct tag on Swan, who hurt Port on the scoreboard as well with three goals.
What it means
It's difficult to make sweeping statements about the Pies of 2011 from this sample, but the trademark evenness of contribution that Mick Malthouse demands certainly remains. Collingwood had 13 goal kickers on the day and Malthouse couldn't name one player who he would characterise as having had a bad game.
Dream Team highlight
Swan was the Dream Team standout with 137 points, with Andrew Krakouer delighting just about every Dream Teamer on the planet with his return of 96 points.
The next four
Collingwood: North Melbourne (Etihad), Carlton (MCG), Richmond (MCG), Essendon (MCG)
What the coach said
Mick Malthouse (Collingwood)
"The end result looks good but there were a few ups and downs. I think anyone who underestimates Port are going to be in for a nasty shock. The time when they got back in the game was when we did not adjust in the stoppages, we got cleaned up, they took it down there and scored. When we started getting our hands on the ball, we put them under pressure."
Turning point
When Matt Thomas booted his second goal in the third quarter the Power were just 16 points down after a stirring rally from 58 points in arrears. With the dismayed crowd hushed, Andrew Krakouer stepped in to stop the rot with a brilliant goal after dummying two opponents that sparked the final onslaught.
New faces
Andrew Krakouer and Chris Tarrant have been a constant source of interest since their arrival in the off-season. Krakouer had the better day with 19 possessions and a goal.
Collingwood 6.1 13.3 18.6 24.11 (155)
Port Adelaide 3.1 5.6 11.6 12.8 (80)
GOALS
Collingwood: Dawes 4, Swan 3, Blair 3, Buckley 2, Beams 2, Cloke 2, Johnson 2, O'Brien, Jolly, Brown, Didak, Krakouer, Macaffer
Port Adelaide: Westhoff 4, Thomas 3, Irons 2, Boak, Cassisi, Schulz
BEST
Collingwood: Swan, Johnson, Dawes, Pendlebury, Thomas, Krakouer, Blair
Port Adelaide: Thomas, Westhoff, Gray, K. Cornes, Salopek, Boak
INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Port Adelaide: Schulz (knee)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Vozzo, Jennings, Mollison
Official crowd: 35,773 at Etihad Stadium
