There was definite improvement, but Nathan Buckley says Collingwood still has a long way to go despite thumping the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.

The Magpies' coach said he was "encouraged" by the 68-point win but already had one eyed on next week's opponent Geelong when assessing their performance.

Buckley said the first half – that generated a 65-point lead – was built on good ball movement and an accountable team, but he was disappointed after the main break.

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"While we were really encouraged by the fact we stood up when the whips were cracking, we've clearly got a long way to go and we're yet to play a four-quarter game this year," he said.

"I suppose the game was done, but we just made some poor decision at times. We'll learn from that.

"The leaders in the playing group were dissatisfied with how we finished.

"We come up against Geelong next week and we've got to bring that first-half intensity for four quarters if we want to be competitive.

"We think we're capable of it, but we're still yet to execute it."

Collingwood's third win of the season will momentarily take the intense spotlight off them, after a strong all-around team performance.

Led by midfielders Adam Treloar and Scott Pendlebury, the Magpies ran roughshod over the Lions, setting up ample scoring opportunities with 70 inside 50s.

Buckley said the biggest turnaround from the scratchy form of the first seven weeks was more of a complete team effort.

"We had less passengers," he said.

"We showed the footy we were capable of playing, but we haven't been able to execute often enough.

"For us it's the next step in our recovery I suppose, from a really poor start to the season, to hopefully getting back to some stronger footy."

Buckley said there was no structural damage to Mason Cox's hand after the giant forward had it accidentally trod on by teammate Darcy Moore.