> Watch Harry O'Brien speak to CTV in the rooms after the win> Watch the team sing the song after the win> Watch Mick Malthouse speak to the media after the matchCOLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse said the Magpies would not have beaten Port Adelaide without the number of second-tier players that stood up on Sunday evening.
Brad Dick, Leigh Brown and Sharrod Wellingham all took significant steps in the 38-point win over the Power, with Malthouse highlighting their importance after the match.
"They had to [stand up] against Port. You must do that against Port; their front-end players are too numerous," he said.
"It was so important that you get something from players who are recognised as only occasional midfielders."
Malthouse said Dick, who was playing his 10th game, would only improve from further exposure to the senior stage.
"He's got all the goods that you want. He's enthusiastic, he's quick, he's a good thinker," he said.
"He's still light and he'll stay light his whole career, but he could get a bit harder as in three or four kilos.
"But he'll get better as the years go on because he'll learn from what works and what doesn't work."
The Magpies have now won two consecutive games, but Malthouse is more pleased with the depth the side is beginning to generate.
"We had two floggings in a row, so we're not over the hump," he said.
"The encouraging thing today was [Dale] Thomas was back from injury and got through OK; [Alan] Didak, after a long stay out showed some of his important touches that we need.
"If we can keep getting the odd player back and being complemented by the players that picked up today, it adds to our depth.
"One of the secrets to Geelong (is) it's not so much their 22; it's their 30. If someone falls over, someone comes in and does an equally good job.
"Your depth is the key to any form of long-lasting, sustaining ability to win games."
Malthouse also mentioned the depth existing within Collingwood’s VFL side and said "five or six players" – including young gun Dayne Beams – were in line for a recall next weekend.
Against Port Adelaide, he blamed the Magpies' lacklustre first half on "anxiousness" and turnovers, and said better ball use in the second half contributed to the win.
"Three or four goals came directly from us taking the wrong option in the first quarter, and (we were) either penalised by stoppage or by a turnover as a result of it," he said.
"We only had ourselves to blame. Port was in the right spot, but we contributed to that by just not getting it right.
"Then we started to get back in it, but you can't win too many games if you only get inside your forward 50 seven times, and that's what happened in the first quarter.
"We were able to arrest that, and get a bit more involvement by all players around the ball."
Malthouse labelled Dane Swan's 48-possession game as "reasonable", and said he didn't "pay attention" to the number of times he gathered the ball.
