Watch Mick Malthouse address the media after the loss.
COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse says his side has plenty to learn from its 36-point loss to Geelong and already has his eyes on a rematch in round 19.
The Cats - who have now won five of their past six encounters - kicked the last eight goals on Friday night after the inaccurate Pies led by 11 points in the third quarter.
"They're the benchmark. They have been for three to four years now," Malthouse said.
"They are the only top four side from last year that we play twice so that gives us 10 weeks to work on it."
Malthouse was left to rue poor kicking in the second half - where the Pies kicked 2.12 - with costly misses to Leon Davis, Ben Johnson and Dale Thomas opening the door for the Cats to take full advantage.
Watch Nick Maxwell speak to CTV in the MCG rooms after the match.
"We certainly had control of the ball and the period of play at which really you just have to put the score on the board," he said.
"If it's a set shot at goal, you have to kick the goal."
Malthouse conceded his young side was some way off challenging a hardened Geelong outfit sure to figure prominently at the business end of the season.
"Don't underestimate years of service and number of games. These are the great challenges. We have to still overcome the difficulties to get there," he said.
"We have had some big wins, some tough wins and we have to come up against another side that has shown us up in certain areas. And that's round nine - it's better than round 19 or 20.
"I thought there were so many things we got right. By and large I thought Geelong had to play pretty well to beat us and that gives us our chance to evaluate the game."
The Pies will look to return to the winners list when they travel to Brisbane to take on the struggling Lions next Saturday night.
"We have to treat every week like it is a champion round [and] win enough games to make the top eight," Malthouse said.
"That's the first goal."