CTV > Mick Malthouse's Thursday press conference
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COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse is not happy with his team's start to the season, but he's fairly sure he knows how to rectify the situation.

The Magpies were just a kick out of last year's grand final, but in 2008 have struggled to three wins from the first seven matches. They have used 31 players – equal-fifth highest in the competition – and Malthouse warned more changes could be on the way.

"Three and four's not good, but I don't know if it's a season-defining game at round eight," Malthouse said at his weekly media conference on Thursday. "But it's going to tell us a little bit about a few players, because to be three and four, we haven't played well.

"We may be on the last line with a few blokes that are just going. And they're not just going because they're meaningfully avoiding training, or looking after themselves, or acknowledging game rules, it's just that I think that sometimes you can stand still, and clubs will go past you.

"And I've got a feeling that a couple of blokes – three or four blokes – that have been very handy players for us, but they really haven't improved this year, for one reason or another (may face the axe).

"And they are just as mystified as what I am. They really can't put their finger on why – they're still doing all the work, so that means that either players have gone past those blokes, or they just haven't been able to pick up from where they were last year.

"So that's a good test for them. A real good test for them.

"I'm not going to name the players, but there's some handy names among them."