Collingwood suffered its third defeat this season at the hands of North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday.

It was the Pies third game on the road in as many weeks and they were underwhelming against a side likely to push deep into finals.

"We started slow and it took us a while to get into the game," Steve Symonds said post match.

"I felt they controlled territory all day and we don't want to concede the ground, we want to go ball our way first so we can set up behind the ball better."

After a best on ground performance in round six, Chloe Molloy struggled to get involved until half time.

"It was a combination of things - Chloe is coming back from a couple of niggles early in the season," Symonds said.

"She played a great game last week so of course the opposition were always going to be a bit tighter on her.

"We didn't help her either - we couldn't get the ball in the right spot for her.

"She's a player that's dynamic when she gets going and we need to assist her in getting up."

Symonds said he was proud of the fight his side showed after three consecutive weeks of interstate travel.

"Our recovery processes post game weren't ideal last week (in Perth), the girls certainly tried but you could see they didn't have their usual zip," he said.

"We have a big game coming up against the Western Bulldogs and we're looking forward to bouncing back.

"They might be fatigued at the moment but they never give up and that's what I love about this group, they keep fighting."