COLLINGWOOD recruit Travis Varcoe says the clash against Fremantle on Thursday night will give the Magpies an indication of where they sit in the competition.
Now fourth with eight wins, the Magpies start a demanding stretch of games this week against the top of the ladder Dockers in Perth.
"Every week is a challenge. We just have to try to match their intensity and pressure around the ball," Varcoe said.
The Magpies were in the same position on the ladder going into round 12 last year but lost eight of their last 11 games to finish 11th.
In the next month they play Fremantle, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and West Coast.
Although the Magpies' injury list is shorter this season than it was at the same stage in 2014, Varcoe is aware little has been achieved yet.
"There is another half a season to go. The first half is great, but it means nothing if you don't continue on with it," he said.
Varcoe said Collingwood hoped to slow down the Dockers, but conceded they would need to be on their game at the stoppages given Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands' expected dominance and the Dockers' talented midfield that includes Nathan Fyfe, David Mundy and Lachie Neale.
"We've got a pretty good midfield who can read taps," Varcoe said.
"Wittsy will give us a great contest, as he does every week. [Sandilands] will win a fair share of his hit-outs but you just have to try to nullify the clearances and try to draw even."
Recruited from Geelong in a three-way trade that saw Heritier Lumumba join Melbourne and Mitch Clark head to Geelong, Varcoe has hit his straps in recent weeks.
He has played every game, averaging 17.6 disposals a game and adding run and flexibility to the line-up.
He has also inspired his team at times.
A second and third effort from Varcoe when the Magpies were 38 points down late in the second quarter against North Melbourne (when he tackled Kangaroo defenders Jamie MacMillan and Lachlan Hansen to force a boundary throw in) was a significant factor in the Magpies turnaround that day.
The rebound was no surprise to Varcoe, who plays his 150th game on Thursday night, as he is used to winning.
Regardless of the result against the Dockers, Varcoe will have the greatest winning percentage of all players to have played 150 games or more after the game.
A win would give him 123 wins from 150 games and a winning percentage of 82 per cent.
Former teammate Joel Selwood has been part of 153 wins in his 196 games (78 per cent) but had won 124 games in his first 150, just ahead of Varcoe at the same stage.
Former Carlton player Charlie Hammond finished in 1918 with 120 wins from 154 games.
Varcoe said playing at a great club such as Geelong, where he played in 138 games and two premierships, was helpful but admitted having such a record did inspire confidence.
"You're in it to win it. You go into every game thinking you're going to win … if you do everything possible that the coaches have put in place for us the result will take care of itself," he said.
