Collingwood's reigning best and fairest Darcy Cameron has conceded that his midfield's service was subpar in Friday night's dour loss to Fremantle.
The Pies were at their defensive best, holding a side who were averaging well over 90 points to half of that number on a greasy Adelaide evening, but that prowess is desperate to be complemented by increased efficiency ahead of the ball.
The Magpies scored just 39 points from 61 inside 50s, and have not registered triple figures since Round 18, 2025, which fittingly came against the Blues - a side who the Pies will renew 130 years worth of hostilities with, come Thursday.
"Our defence is really stacking up, but obviously we want to find better ways to score. We want to be fun to watch... we'll keep working towards that," Cameron said.
"They're (the forwards) working really hard. As mids we missed the opportunities in the first half to lower our eyes.
"Freo flood numbers back, and we probably played into their hands at times. We'll go back and look at the vision and see what we can do.
"There was a lot to like about our pressure, and our fight was back to its best. We need to tidy up a few things with our offence, and we should be alright."
Cameron offered that a joint line meeting between the forwards and midfielders came in the aftermath of the disappointing result, as the Pies look to navigate themselves out of a scoring mire.
The West Australian heaped praise on leader Jamie Elliott, who presents as one player particularly impacted by the midfield's inability to spot up targets in scoring positions.
"If you watch what he does without ball in hand, he just works so hard for our forward line, and creates opportunities for our bigs. He's probably the most selfless player in our team."
Collingwood and Carlton is still the rivalry that means most for both clubs, and Cameron stoked the flames of hostility, while speaking at the Peter Mac Breakfast, with the clash raising much needed funds for important cancer research.
"It's very real. It's the longest rivalry in the game really; one that we all look forward to," he added.
"It's nice to come together (at the breakfast), but I'm sure come Thursday night we'll go out there with a plan to bash each other."
Cameron refuted claims that the cliff is rapidly approaching an ageing Pies list, with their so-so start proving valuable talkback radio and panel show fodder.
"I think it's silly. We've played in two prelims and a grand final (in recent years), with a lot of the same personnel. I know those players are a little bit older but they're still performing at a very high level."
The Pies and Blues kickstart Round 6 action on Thursday night.
