COLLINGWOOD has earmarked its clash with the Sydney Swans this Saturday night as must-win, with captain Scott Burns recognising his side will lose touch with the top four if beaten.

As the players prepared to board a flight north on Friday afternoon ahead of the ANZ Stadium match, Burns said a loss – which would see the Pies fall 14 premiership points behind the fourth-placed Swans – would make it tough to secure the double-chance.

Burns assessed the Pies' first 13 rounds as patchy, but said he has confidence in their ability to turn things around given they've only dropped off for "about 10 minutes a game".

"We really want to have a good run in this next nine weeks. I guess this next four or five weeks will give us a better indication of where we really are at in terms of whether we can challenge the top teams or not."

He also said the Magpies didn't embark on any dramatic mid-season reviews during the split round, despite the side dropping its two matches before the break.

"There was only a review from the last game we played, but there was not necessarily what you'd call a mid-season review," he said.

"We have reviews all the time after each game whether we win or lose, so we didn't have one where we sit down and assess everyone."

The club diverted from its tradition of a mid-season team trip this year and sent players away to spend time with their families instead – a decision Burns supported.

"I feel good. I don't know about other clubs, but we were at the stage where a lot of the guys needed breaks, as they had a few little niggles," he said.

"It was good to have that week to really freshen up and a weekend away and not think about football, mentally as well as physically.

"We've had a good training week this week and most of the boys seem to be pretty sharp, so at this stage it looks pretty good."