On the surface, Collingwood's annual jaunt to the high-altitude camp in the United States every November takes place because, well, the Pies can afford it. Why run around the Tan Track when you can visit the Grand Canyon?

But Collingwood players and officials swear the camp has his benefits. Without knowing how they measure such things, the theory is that the Pies enter the start of the season about five per cent fitter than their opponents.

They certainly looked the fitter side against Fremantle on Friday night, powering away to win by 36 points, to go a game clear on top of the ladder and set up another monstrous Friday night clash next week, this time against Geelong at the MCG.

Collingwood invariably gets some stick every year when the schedule is released. Lots of MCG games and not many outside Victoria is an annual feature/complaint, but truth be told, the Pies love to travel. They have now won their last six games and seven of their last eight once they step on an airplane.

Perhaps it gets back to Arizona, with the Pies able to get comfortable no matter where they are.

The third quarter was the decider, with Collingwood working the ball forward time and time again and finally breaking through the Fremantle backline, which, admittedly, was a key defender down once Luke McPharlin went down with a suspected medial ligament injury. Five goals to Travis Cloke and three to Alan Didak got the Pies on their way, but they were harder at the footy and smashed the Dockers in contested possessions.

Much will be made that the Dockers were coming back from Brisbane on a six-day break, but the Pies were also playing their third game in 12 days and when you look at who didn't get a game this week, you might have found the secret to Collingwood in 2010 - a full list to choose from. Josh Fraser, Leigh Brown, Tarkyn Lockyer and Simon Prestigiacomo will be kicking off the dew, so to speak, in the VFL at Frankston on Saturday.

They'll be anxious, as will Paul Medhurst, who had the misfortune to miss because of injury, about when and if they'll get back in the side. At 7-1, this is Collingwood's best start to a season in Mick Malthouse's 11 seasons as coach and senior berths are clearly at a premium.

The message at Pie-land is clear: play badly at your peril.