There was soul searching, as there always is, but Collingwood star Dale Thomas believes the club have moved on from their 2011 AFL grand final loss.

Thomas was one of the Magpies’ best performers in their 38-point defeat to Geelong, but that was always going to be scant consolation during the off-season.

“Six weeks off, you do a little bit of soul searching,” Thomas told AAP.

“You kind of worry where you’ve gone wrong and where you need to get better to go that one step further.

“I’m sure I wasn’t alone in those thoughts over the break.”

But with a new coach at the helm, a training camp in Arizona and the AFL season fast approaching, those thoughts have been mostly erased.

Rather than focusing on the pain, new Collingwood mentor Nathan Buckley has his charges primed for the new challenges awaiting in 2012.

“(It has) not (been talked about) a great deal. Obviously it’s a new year, new coach – a lot of different things,” Thomas said.

“Obviously for the boys who played and were around, it probably sits somewhere in their mind.

“And when the going does get tough, it probably provides a little bit of a spark.

“But you do move on. I think the motivation would have served its purpose to get the boys going at the start of pre-season.

“For us now, it’s about continuing what we’ve done, the hard work we’ve done, and staying as fit and healthy as we can throughout the season.

“The boys have come back well after Christmas. We’re looking forward to getting into the games and trying to start a new year fresh.

“Hopefully, we can go one step further but there’s a long way to go.”

Just how far the ‘Pies do go in 2012 will depend partly on Buckley’s coaching prowess, as he attempts to steer Collingwood to their third straight season decider.

The 39-year-old is yet to discuss with Thomas whether his role will change this season, but the midfielder says he has made his mark on the squad.

“So far, he’s just all about the process and trying to refine a couple of things that he has seen from the outside in.

“Obviously, he’s brought a few new ideas and a few little different things he’s going to tweak, and it’s been responded to really well by the group.

“It’s been a really smooth transition.”

Collingwood boast one of the strongest lists in the competition and have been listed as premiership favourites by all notable bookmakers.