> Shane O'Bree speaks to CTV in the rooms at the MCG after his side's four-point loss to Adelaide> Watch Michael Malthouse's press conference after the match
COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse believes his players' "reactionary" first-quarter attitude against Adelaide cost them the game on Saturday afternoon.
Malthouse said the Pies were adequately prepared to face the Crows, but were too influenced by what their opponents were doing to assert their own authority on the game.
"Round one is notorious for the unknown," he said after the four-point loss. "You don't know how sides are travelling, you don't know how fit they are.
"We couldn't have watched Adelaide any more and they probably couldn't have watched us any more.
"There was nothing mysterious about the way Adelaide played because we know that they're a well-disciplined side.
"Players that we expected to do better against them didn't, and players that are generally clean with the football … it was 25 degrees, cut down from 26 to 22 players with longer quarters and less players running through the rotations, and it served up tiredness and mistakes."
Despite its early shortcomings, Malthouse felt his side could get back in the contest and it did – cutting the quarter-time margin by 10 points.
"By half time we should have been better suited to the scoreline," he added. "In the third quarter, I don't know if we sat back in easy street or if tiredness took over or if it was the heat, but the last three goals killed us.
"It allowed them to set up the last quarter."
Malthouse defended his decision to allow veteran Crow Andrew McLeod to run virtually unopposed for the majority of the game.
"Sometimes you only relay the problems from one player to the next," he said.
"It certainly wasn't designed that McLeod had 30 possessions. They look for that player, and if you tag that player, (Simon) Goodwin gets out. If you tag him, (Nathan) Bock gets out.
"It may well be better to close one down, two down or three down but then you're almost static in your forward line and you become a reactionary side.
"You have to be careful about overanalysing what one player gets."
Malthouse said the Pies would now pick up the pieces of round one and move ahead to their next assignment of Melbourne next Saturday.
"I don't think anyone would want to lose the first game and we certainly didn't," he said.
"We were short in too many areas, particularly the start and also the fact that we gave the ball up to them too many times.
"Where does it leave us? At the end of the day, we will assess the team, weigh up our options against another opponent next week, and pick a side."
