Watch the team sing the song after the one-point win

MICK MALTHOUSE wasn’t certain if his side deserved the four premiership points on Saturday afternoon but he knows Collingwood must narrow the gap between its best and worst football.

The Pies coach might have used one of his ‘get out of jail’ cards against Melbourne at the MCG in round two, with his team pulling off a great escape against the Demons.

Trailing by 11 points in time on and seemingly out on their feet, the Pies somehow found a way to win against a young Melbourne line-up that looked as though it didn’t know how to clinch the game.

Collingwood booted two late goals to win by a point, 12.14 (86) to 12.13 (85), but not before some nervous final seconds in which the Demons pumped the ball into their goal square.

"It was predictable, totally predictable," he said after the game.

"Melbourne seem to think this is their grand final every time they play Collingwood.

"So 1) we knew they’d be having a crack [and] 2) we predicted during the week [that] with the efforts of last week our players would be extremely flat and need something to get up.

"I thought there were enough things there to know that we can work on but a couple of things where probably two or three players got us over the line.

"But we just weren’t as fever pitch, if you like, for a game that is round two, and you’ve got to be."

The Demons had primed themselves for a big effort and came out firing, racing to a 15-point lead at the first break. That prompted the coach to spend a little more time than usual addressing his players as a group at the quarter-time huddle.

Vote for the BOG in the win

"Just a few home truths," Malthouse said of his message.

"I don’t think that’s ever died in coaching, as I said to Nathan (Buckley) and Scott Watters and certainly Mark Neeld.

"Make no mistake about it, you can have all the theories and all the bits and pieces you like but at the end of the day, everything’s changed and nothing’s changed.

"We’re still dealing with young men... sometimes they need to have some things spelt out to them."

Malthouse said his team hadn’t underestimated the Demons but acknowledged his side’s performance needed to become more even from week to week.

"We need to address the differences between how good we play and how poor we play," he said.

"[But] I am not about to underestimate or understate how good Melbourne were today.

"Did we deserve to win? Well, when there’s one point [the difference], there’s a victor that’s lucky and there’s a loser that’s unlucky and that’ll always be the cry."

 Watch Scott Pendlebury discuss the win at the Westpac Centre after the game

The coach also said Melbourne had dominated the stoppages, an area Collingwood hoped to greatly improve in 2010 through the additions of Luke Ball and Darren Jolly.

Neither had a great influence, with Jolly soundly beaten by former teammate Mark Jamar. But Malthouse is unconcerned by his star recruit’s subdued start to the season.

"He’s come across two very competent ruck divisions and hasn’t dominated by any stretch of the imagination," he said.

"He’ll take some time. I’ve got no worries about Darren Jolly."