Write off Craig McRae's Collingwood at your peril.
The Magpies have lost four of their last five games to put their top-four hopes in jeopardy.
Heavy defeats to fellow flag contenders Brisbane and Hawthorn followed narrow losses against Fremantle and Gold Coast.
However, Collingwood had a similar end to the home-and-away season when they last won the premiership in 2023
MORE: Craig McRae blasts Collingwood after lowest score in his tenure
After Round 19 in that season, Collingwood were 16 wins, two losses, but three defeats in their final four games saw the Magpies just manage to cling on to top spot on the ladder for finals.
The three losses were similarly comprehensive as what's happened in 2025 with Brisbane, Hawthorn and Carlton getting the better of McRae's team, putting question marks on their premiership claims.
Through the 2023 finals series, Collingwood won all three of their finals to snare the flag, despite all three contests being tight and games their opponents could have won.
McRae didn't seen too concerned for the future after the 64-point loss to Hawthorn, backing the team's system to return by the time finals come around.
"We want to be a team that turns up every week. Nothing’s permanent, and I’ve never believed in form (or) confidence, because my next action will be the one that decides if I’m confident or (in-form)," McRae said post-match.
"Confidence is an outcome, form’s an outcome. We live in process. You judge us on outcomes, we judge ourselves on process."
It isn't going to get any easier for Collingwood next week as they embark on arguably the most daunting trip in football - Adelaide in Adelaide.
It is a chance to the Magpies to find form, for Jordan De Goey to get another match in his legs, for the team to find its fanatical pressure ahead of finals time.
If anyone needed a reminder that Collingwood can turn up at any stage, they only have to cast their mind back two years to see what McRae's side is capable of.