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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says waiting for almost four hours for coronavirus test results was the hardest part of his club's AFL trip to Adelaide.

For almost four hours, Collingwood players and coaches waited at Adelaide Oval's indoor cricket centre for their latest coronavirus test results.

And coach Nathan Buckley says that wait was harder than being in lockdown in Melbourne.

Collingwood snapped a three-game losing streak by downing Adelaide by five points at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

The win came after a day of travel, tests and waiting.

"What we were asked to do would be seen as onerous," Buckley said.

"But in the current backdrop of what we have faced in the last 18 months, it's more of the same."

Collingwood's travel party was tested and cleared of COVID-19 on Friday night.

They gathered in Melbourne at 6am on Saturday for breakfast; caught a 7.30am bus to the airport; flew to Adelaide - and were immediately tested for coronavirus again.

"Personally, lockdown over in Victoria wasn't the most difficult part," Buckley said.

"The most difficult part of it was we were tested in Victoria yesterday and then we were tested again when we landed in South Australia.

"And the reason we had to come over earlier was to get a negative for everyone landing in South Australia.

"So we sat around at the SACA indoor cricket area for three and half hours, had a feed - the boys were getting up and having walks and stretches periodically but there was a fair bit of down time there.

"But at two o'clock we got to the changerooms and then it was normal prep after that."

Collingwood were granted an exemption from SA Health to travel to Adelaide and Buckley praised his group's resilience.

"We were able to conserve energy, emotional energy in particular, and be fairly composed through the last couple of days," he said.

"In particular this morning and through the middle of the day and then switch on at two o'clock when we got to the changerooms."