Collingwood is hopeful Alan Didak will be fit for next Sunday's blockbuster AFL clash with Hawthorn.

Didak was substituted in the third quarter of his side's six-point win over Sydney on Saturday night after complaining of calf soreness.

Didak is yet to be fully assessed but the club said his exit was only a precautionary move and they are optimistic he'll be fit to take on the Hawks in next week's game of the round.

Coach Mick Malthouse said it is too early to speculate about Didak's ailment.

The game was contested at a frenetic tempo and the visitors had a few players, including captain Nick Maxwell, feel the pinch despite last week's bye.

"Surprisingly with a week off, we've probably got three or four blokes who cramped, some badly, some not so badly," Malthouse said.

"Some could go back on, some we just didn't take a risk with."

Some pundits suggested the bye was to blame for the shift of momentum in the second half, when Sydney surged and briefly took the lead.

However Collingwood defender Ben Reid didn't see it, saying a loss of structure was to blame for his side's late-game lapse.

"The week off freshened us up and there's no excuses. You come out and play another game of footy," Reid said.

"We played a good first half and just dropped off in that third quarter, which was pretty disappointing."

Sydney co-captain Jarrad McVeigh was happy to overlook the Pies' loss of momentum and branded second-placed Collingwood the undoubted benchmark of the competition.

"The way they work together as a whole team, attack and defence, it was a real eye opener for us, to see where we can get to," McVeigh said.

"The way they work, the confidence they have, it's something that we will try to emulate."

Malthouse bemoaned his side's errant goal-kicking on Saturday night when the Pies posted a six-point win despite having 11 more scoring shots.

Inaccuracy was a feature of Collingwood's last loss to Hawthorn,which came in round 22 last year.

Nonetheless, Malthouse believed there were plenty of positives to take from the weekend's win.

"There's a lot to like about beating Sydney, because they keep coming at you," he said.

"I don't know whether we've really adjusted to their style enough, too - it's a great lesson. Quite frankly, I really enjoy playing against Sydney."

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