Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley believes his AFL club have struck their best form of the season, but says it’s still not good enough to have the impact they want in finals.

The Magpies thrashed a disappointing West Coast 15.11 (101) to 5.9 (39) at the MCG on Friday night, setting up their win with an eight-goals-to-two opening term.

Buckley said that quarter was as good as the Magpies have played all year, although acknowledged they then tapered off.

But he said their past month, which has yielded three wins and a loss to Hawthorn, had been their best patch of sustained football.

“We’re playing decent footy, but we’re going to need to improve and go up another couple of rungs, which we’re more than capable of, if we want to do the damage we’d like to inflict in the next five weeks,” Buckley told reporters.

The Magpies withdrew midfielder Dayne Beams pre-game with back tightness and Luke Ball was subbed off with calf tightness at the start of the second half, although neither injury is believed to be major.

But both injuries had their bright side.

Beams’ absence meant 17-gamer Josh Thomas was given more midfield time.

He seized his chance, picking up 35 disposals and kicking a goal to be a driving force in the win, in what Buckley rated his best AFL performance.

“He’s only now starting to realise that he has the talent that we’ve been telling him he’s had for a long period of time,” the coach said.

Ball’s departure meant veteran substitute Alan Didak was given a full half in his first AFL game since round 11.

He also capitalised on the opportunity, picking up 15 disposals and kicking Collingwood’s only goal of the last quarter, to the delight of his teammates and the crowd.

It boosted the 2010 premiership star’s chances of holding his spot.

“He put his hand up, he asked questions of the match committee,” Buckley said.