THE SYDNEY Swans have gone down by 29 points to nemesis Collingwood in a dour encounter at ANZ Stadium.
The 6.14 (50) to 11.13 (79) result stretched the Swans' losing streak against Collingwood to five matches, going back to round 13, 2005.
A flurry of goals to the Swans in the final quarter got the almost 60,000 fans on hand excited, but it was too little too late on a night when the home side's kicking was disappointing and Collingwood's pressure was outstanding.
The Swans' only goal in the first half come via talented youngster Craig Bird in a dismal first two quarters for Paul Roos' side.
The Magpies tackled beautifully, blocked the spaces as they put the Swans under the pump all night, and Dale Thomas' spectacular marking early lit up the match for the many visiting fans.
Brett Kirk, Tadhg Kennelly and Craig Bird were solid for the Swans, who were missing Adam Goodes through suspension. And how they missed him.
Josh Fraser and Anthony Rocca were out for the visitors.
It was tough, contested footy from the opening siren with both sides working hard. After Thomas had marked magnificently and goaled from the hotspot, it took 16 minutes before the Swans scored their first major of the game.
Bird's beautiful left foot shot just inside the boundary line raised the roof, and the home side could've gone to the first break with a slim lead had Henry Playfair's set shot from 30m been true.
After a tight first 15 minutes of the second quarter, Collingwood scooted away to a four-goal lead courtesy of some brilliant marking from Thomas and Travis Cloke as the Swans struggled to stay in the game.
The Swans were under the pump by Collingwood's non-stop pressure and ability to dictate the game. With a 26-point deficit at the main break, the Swans had it all to do in the second half.
The third quarter started the way the game had begun with Collingwood players throwing themselves into the contest and manning up well.
A sensational diving mark from Micky O'Loughlin just inside the boundary line could've been a circuit breaker after seven minutes but 'Magic' screwed his kick wide.
And when Paul Medhurst's clever roving gave the Magpies a five-goal lead, things looked gloomy for the Bloods fans.
But Jarred Moore's set shot from 50m out finally fired up the Swans. And with Spida Everitt's desperate tackle to win possession from Cloke, a sniff of a comeback was on.
Medhurst's second goal and Cloke with a set shot right in front blew the lead out to more than six goals going into the final break.
However in the final quarter, three early unanswered goals from the Swans saw the large crowd on its feet.
Barry Hall's first for the night reduced the deficit to 35 points after four minutes of the final quarter. And nine minutes in, Bird's run from the midfield found O'Loughlin on the lead, and he marked and scored.
Playfair's first for the night, from 50m with a beautiful kick, was followed by a brilliant mark from O'Loughlin's in the forward pocket, but the champion missed narrowly and the momentum was briefly halted.
Collingwood turned the screws after Cameron Wood goaled from a free kick to stretch the visitors' lead to four goals.
In the shadows of the final siren, Kieren Jack's miss from 20m out and another errant shot on goal from O'Loughlin after a brilliant mark confirmed that it wasn't the Swan' night.
The Swans must now regroup for next week's clash with the Hawks.
Sydney Swans 1.3 1.5 2.7 6.14 (50)
Collingwood 1.5 5.7 8.12 11.13 (79)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Bird, Hall, Moore, O'Keefe, O'Loughlin, Playfair. Collingwood: Cloke 3, Thomas 3, Medhurst 2, Anthony, Didak, Wood
BEST
Sydney Swans: Kirk, Kennelly, Barry, Mattner, Bird. Collingwood: Thomas, Cloke, Shaw, Didak, Maxwell, Swan
Umpires: Kennedy, Meredith, Vozzo
Official crowd: 59,202 at ANZ Stadium
