The 12.16 (88) to 9.12 (66) win leaves Collingwood with four wins and in the mid-table mix, while the Eagles, who had a dirty, uncompetitive night, fall into the bottom four after an encouraging start to the season.
Lacking five of its first-choice forwards, Collingwood turned in a defensive master-class with Leon Davis the star, collecting 32 possessions and booting three goals playing behind the ball.
The classy Magpie warned West Coast mid-week that he would rise for Indigenous Round, but the Eagles responded by letting him roam free for most of the night, controlling play alongside Scott Pendlebury (38 possessions), 200-gamer Tarkyn Lockyer (25 and two goals) and Dane Swan (36).
West Coast simply couldn't find a winner in possibly its worst performance of the season, Dean Cox was kept to just 12 possessions, while Daniel Kerr and Matt Priddis were both stymied by the tough, uncompromising Pies.
In line with their defensive approach, the Magpies' other prime performers nested in the backline with Nick Maxwell, Harry O'Brien and Nathan Brown all rock solid on the last line.
John Anthony booted three goals when the contest was alive while Eagle Ben McKinley managed four – all in the second half.
Both sides made late changes, with Eagle Brett Jones replacing Mark LeCras and Ben Reid making way for Collingwood's Brad Dick.
The absence of Alan Didak, Paul Medhurst, Travis Cloke, Anthony Rocca and Dale Thomas left Anthony as Collingwood's chief forward target, and the 21-year-old rose to the challenge, and booted the visitors' opener after 12 minutes.
West Coast responded instantly through David Wirrpanda and went on to boot the next couple with an impressive long-range effort from Brad Ebert and then a Josh Kennedy snap giving the home side a 13-point break at the first change.
The rain that had recently battered Perth held off, but skills were still scratchy in the first half, and the low-scoring scrap suited the Pies.
The only three goals of the second term went the Pies' way with Swan and Pendlebury having an impact through the middle.
Swan released Heath Shaw to boot a running goal from beyond 50m, while Anthony continued to present, booting two more majors, his third of the game giving the Magpies an eight-point buffer at half time.
Things opened up ever so slightly in the third, but it was still all Collingwood, the Pies booting the first three through Davis, Leigh Brown and Lockyer.
It took a botched cross-goal pass from Ryan Cook to get West Coast on the board, McKinley marking the young Magpie's attempted switch of play, and kicking the Eagles' first goal in 40 minutes.
McKinley's second in time on left the Eagles 22-point in arrears but, while the margin seemed assailable, they couldn't mount any meaningful challenge in the final term.
West Coast needed to score first in the fourth quarter, but it was all Collingwood. After Steele Sidebottom and Fraser missed early chances, Davis’ five minute cameo sealed victory for the visitors.
First the livewire Magpie forward capitalised on a turnover in defence and kicked truly from the pocket, then took the mark of the night just outside the 50m arc, played on, and goaled on the run to put his side 34 points up.
Brett Jones gave the Eagles some hope when he burst on to a loose ball and rolled through his first from 25m, but West Coast’s forward line sorely missed the man he replaced in the starting side, LeCras.
A wonderful win in the west for the Pies was capped by Sidebottom’s first AFL goal in his third appearance for the club and a second for Lockyer in his milestone game.
WEST COAST 3.4 3.8 5.10 9.12 (66)
COLLINGWOOD 1.4 4.10 8.12 12.16 (88)
GOALS
West Coast: McKinley 4, Wirrpanda, Ebert, Kennedy, Jones, Cox
Collingwood: Davis 3, Anthony 3, Lockyer 2, Shaw, L Brown, Dick, Sidebottom
BEST
West Coast: A Selwood, Embley, Rosa, Glass
Collingwood: Davis, Lockyer, Pendlebury, Swan, Maxwell, Wood, O'Brien
INJURIES
West Coast: Mark LeCras (illness) replaced in selected side by Brett Jones
Collingwood: Ben Reid (virus) replaced in selected side by Brad Dick
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Findlay, McInerney
Official crowd: 36,658 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
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