Scott Burns has shrugged off suggestions the Magpies are on the way down, stating that the club is determined to break into the top four and have a “fair dinkum crack at it” in 2007.

Speaking to the media after training at the Lexus Centre on Monday ahead of Saturday’s round one encounter with the Kangaroos, Burns emphasised the players are hungry and truly believe they can improve on their 2006 showing.

“We don't want to maintain it (the club’s 2006 ladder position), we want to go another step. That's the key, you don't want to maintain seventh spot, you don't really want to maintain fifth after 22 rounds”, declared.

“I would think there would be a lot of teams who are developing sides and want to break into the eight, and there will be those teams that have been around the middle or the bottom of the eight that really want to push for a top four spot, and we're in that category from last season, we want to go a step higher, we've got to improve.”

Burns, a veteran of 223 games, also said those writing off Collingwood this year have quickly forgotten that the Magpies were the highest scoring team in the competition in 2006, and there is no reason why the club can’t again be one of the league’s most potent.

With Anthony Rocca teaming with a rapidly improving Travis Cloke, and Josh Fraser floating forward on a regular basis, it’s going to create some serious match-up problems for opposition coaches.

“If you’ve got Travis Cloke, Anthony and Josh up in the forward line, then there’s got to be three pretty good tall defenders in the opposition, then it’s just a matter of the midfielders and defenders to bring it in well enough and utilise them.”