All-Australian defender Dan Houston has returned to haunt his former side as Collingwood emphatically opened their account for the AFL season with a 91-point thrashing of Port Adelaide.
After being run ragged by GWS in the opening round, the rampant Magpies were full of energy in a 21.10 (136) to 6.9 (45) win over the Power at the MCG on Saturday night.
It was the Pies' biggest winning margin of premiership coach Craig McRae's four-season tenure and Port's heaviest defeat in 275 games under Ken Hinkley.
All eyes were on Houston, who forced a trade out of Port Adelaide last October and made his belated Collingwood debut after completing a lengthy suspension.
The 27-year-old half-back was up to the task as one of the Magpies' best afield with 27 disposals, 10 intercept possessions and six score involvements.
"He's a great pick-up, a talented player," McRae said.
"When you have someone come to your club, you have this great optimism about what they're going to bring.
"But when they're actually in your system you go, 'Woah, he's going to make a difference'.
"Not only does he win the ball in the air, he wins it on the ground and then he uses the ball ridiculously well.
"He's a rare talent and we're very happy to have him."
Steele Sidebottom (31 disposals), Patrick Lipinski (24) and Jack Crisp (26) were also influential in a dominant team display, while Tim Membrey (four), Brody Mihocek and Dan McStay (three each) were the best of the goal-kickers.
Nick Daicos wore down Willem Drew's tag to finish with 26 disposals and a goal.
Flat six days earlier against GWS, Collingwood dialled up their tackle pressure and dominated contested possession and clearances when it mattered early in the match.
The Pies also enjoyed a landslide 65-47 advantage in inside-50s in a strong response to stinging criticism that came their way after the loss to the Giants.
"We had our own internal dialogue of what we wanted to improve on ourselves and let others sit here or there judging us from afar," McRae said.
"I didn't need to use it (the criticism). We have great pride in our performance and we took a step forward tonight."
Port captain Connor Rozee (35 disposals) and Ollie Wines (34 touches, 10 clearances) never stopped working but were part of a midfield unit that was comprehensively beaten.
Hinkley conceded the Power were "miles off the pace" in their first game of the season.
"It was really disappointing," he said.
"We didn't play anywhere near like we've been performing in the pre-season and in training.
"Collingwood beat us the way they've beaten us in the past; they were too physical in the contest and then they were able to beat us badly on turnover.
"We looked like the team who didn't play last week and they looked like the team who had played."
Collingwood managed just six goals for the entire game against GWS but piled on that many in the first quarter against Port before breaking the game wide open with a seven-goal third term.
The Pies went into party mode after the main break and even defender Brayden Maynard got in on the scoring act, kicking two goals in as many minutes during the third term.
Houston bombed a long goal from a Lachie Schultz hand-off early in the final term but it was disallowed because the umpire was still setting the mark, much to the disappointment of Pies fans in the 63,282-strong crowd.
