The Magpies play the powerhouse side of the last three years at the MCG this week and could leapfrog the Cats in premiership betting with a sixth straight win.
But O’Brien says his club isn’t getting caught up in external hype surrounding the Pies’ superb 7-1 start to the 2010 season.
“That’s insignificant to our journey,” O’Brien said from the Westpac Centre on Wednesday.
“It’s all about the processes. Being on top of the ladder at round eight or nine, you are not a flag favourite in our eyes and I think internally within other football clubs - you wouldn’t start thinking you’re a favourite.
“Anything can happen throughout the course of a year. It is a marathon. I know it’s a cliché but it is a marathon, not a sprint and that’s the way we treat it.”
O'Brien is enjoying his best season and knows the Pies may be on the verge of something special this year.
But he acknowledges Friday night’s result won’t be the be-all and end-all for his club.
“A win will do the world of good for our confidence,” he said.
“A loss will also give us the opportunity to really reassess against a team that is the benchmark and make necessary changes.”
While O’Brien said his team had made natural progression from last year - younger players’ development and another summer helping the Pies’ improvement - the club had also taken note of some rivals, including this week’s opponent.
Geelong belted Collingwood in last year’s preliminary final and some believe the Pies of 2010 are playing a brand of football similar to the attacking, free-flowing Cats of recent years.
Part of that more offensive set up has been the run generated by Collingwood’s back six, led by skipper Nick Maxwell, Heath Shaw and O’Brien.
This week the Pies meet the most potent side in the league and, while there may be a temptation for Mick Malthouse’s defenders to stay closer to home, O’Brien said they would not change the way they play.
“We stick to the way we think we can help the team and that [attacking play] is certainly a feature of the way that we think we can be a successful team,” he said.
“So I don’t think we change too much. But Geelong’s forward line is so dangerous, so we will have to be very accountable.”
O’Brien says the Pies have also looked at how Geelong and St Kilda have built successful team cultures.
“In a sense we’ve tried to emulate a lot of things that we’ve heard from Geelong having a successful culture, and that’s nothing to do with on-field stuff," O'Brien said.
“It’s more to do with the way we treat each other at the football club … they are certainly the benchmark.”
