The Western Bulldogs' NAB Cup triumph appears to be a distant memory after Collingwood wrecked Brad Johnson's 350th game with a six-goal win at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
In a match which lived up to its billing as the must-see game of Round 1, the Pies announced they were a genuine premiership contender by beating the pre-season champions 19.15 (123) to 13.15 (93) in front of 49,000 fans.
The Bulldogs could not have been coming into this first round clash on a bigger high after securing their first piece of silverware in 40 years.
They were also celebrating Johnson becoming only the 11th man in the competition's 113 year history to reach the prestigious 350-game milestone.
But from the moment the game started it was obvious the much-hyped Dogs were not the only team in the competition capable of challenging Geelong and St Kilda this season and the Pies showed they too were determined to improve on last year's failure in the preliminary final.
Those that feared the Bulldogs may have a let down after all the excitement of their successful pre-season were proved right when the Magpies dominated the first quarter by piling on eight goals to three.
In fact the Pies' total of 8.2 (50) was the most the Dogs had conceded in a first quarter since 9.3 (57) against Essendon, way back in 2003.
While Johnson won his fitness battle with calf and Achilles problems to take his place in the side - after missing the NAB Cup grand final - the Dogs suffered a major blow when their best small defender Dale Morris was a late withdrawal due to illness.
Of all the sides Bulldogs' coach Rodney Eade would have wanted Morris to be fit for it would be Collingwood given the Pies are blessed with the most number of talented small forwards in the competition.
And the often inconsistent trio of Paul Medhurst, Alan Didak and Leon Davis fired.
The trio booted 11 goals between them with their efforts even more vital considering the Pies' key forwards in John Anthony and Travis Cloke had little impact thanks to the fine work of Brian Lake and Andrejs Everitt.
But with best afield Harry O'Brien providing countless run and drive off half-back for the Pies and their midfield dynamo Dane Swan not only wracking up countless possessions as usual - as well as booting three goals - the Dogs' defence simply buckled under the pressure and could not cope with the Pies' small forwards in particular.
When Medhurst goaled in the first minute of the second term the Pies were six goals up but the Bulldogs fought back in the middle terms as Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy began to dominate and when Lake drifted forward to goal on the run at the 16-minute mark of the third term the difference was just three points.
However after Lindsay Gilbee missed a goal he should have kicked to give the Dogs the chance of taking the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, the Pies again seized control as Swan conjured a goal out of nothing before Didak and Medhurst goaled to give the Pies a 20-point lead at the final change.
And although Mitch Hahn marked and goaled to cut the lead to 14 points early in the final term, the Dogs chances effectively ended when giant ruckman Will Minson foolishly ran through the mark - just as Cloke was having a shot from 50 metres out - with the resultant 50-metre penalty meaning Cloke could hardly miss from the goalsquare as his goal put the Pies' 26 points up.
The look on Eade's face as Minson was summoned to the bench shortly afterwards said it all as the Pies ran away with the game.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 3.2, 9.6, 11.11, 13.15 (93)
COLLINGWOOD: 8.2, 10.9, 14.13, 19.15 (129)
GOALS: Bulldogs: Hall 3, Hahn 2, Murphy, Boyd, Higgins, Giansiracusa, Hill, Lake, Picken, Minson
Collingwood: Medhurst 4, Didak 4, Swan 3, Davis 3, Anthony, Pendlebury, Thomas, Wellingham, Cloke
BEST: Bulldogs: Murphy, Cooney, Boyd, Higgins, Lake, Cross, Everitt
Collingwood: O'Brien, Swan, Medhurst, Shaw, Didak, Wellingham, Pendlebury
INJURIES: Bulldogs: Nil
Collingwood: Nil
UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Stevic, Pannell
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Bulldogs: Morris (ill) replaced in selected side by Addison
CROWD: 49,000 at Etihad Stadium