Luke Ball - 7
Tagged Priddis early on and was crucial to getting the clearances through his usual in and under style. Kicked the sealer at the end.

Dayne Beams - 6
Started on the bench and came on to give his usual physical performance. Wasn't among the best but did more than enough. Laid six tackles.

Jarryd Blair - 6
Put on tremendous pressure on the Eagles defenders coming out of their back 50. Kicked a goal and pushed the ball forward at every opportunity.

Leigh Brown - 3
Supported Jolly in the ruck with minimal effect. Gave away a frustrating free kick that resulted in a Naitanui goal in the second quarter.

Travis Cloke - 3
Was quiet in the first half and Eric Mackenzie got the better of him. His one goal came from a set shot in the third quarter.

Leon Davis - 8
Not a noted finals performer but delighted in his role across half-back. Took a spectacular mark in the second quarter and led the Magpies with rebounds from the defensive 50.

Chris Dawes - 2
Beaten by Darren Glass and seemed to be frustrated for most of the match. His one goal came after the siren in the second quarter.

Alan Didak - 4
Tried a couple of miraculous things in his 200th game but they just didn't come off. Was subbed off for Fasolo in the final quarter.

Alex Fasolo - N/A*
Got the late call-up after Reid's withdrawal and donned the council worker's vest for the start. Didn't come on until time-on in the final quarter. Dished the footy to Ball for the sealer and kicked a goal after the siren of his own. Played the cameo role perfectly.

Tyson Goldsack - 3
Started on the wing against Andrew Embley and didn't have a great influence on the match. Has been a point of discussion at the Collingwood selection table in previous finals series and could be the man to make way for Dale Thomas in two weeks.

Ben Johnson - 7
Took a crucial mark in the final quarter on the outer wing when the Magpies had to retain possession. Gave his usual tireless effort and proved the value of experience in finals.

Darren Jolly - 3
Seemed to be lacking confidence as Naitanui's athleticism in the ruck proved to be too much for him. Was far from his best.

Andrew Krakouer - 6
Threatened all day and kicked two valuable goals, the first of which was a miraculous snap over his own head deep in the pocket in the first quarter.

Nick Maxwell - 5
Took a while to get going after lining up on Dean Cox deep in defence. Slowly adapted after missing the past three weeks. Grew as the game went on.

Harry O'Brien - 9
Started strongly and threw his body into everything. Read the ball well and energised his team with long rebounds from defence. Completely shut LeCras out of the game.

Scott Pendlebury - 9
Had the ball on a string, especially in the first half where he had 25 touches. His poise in heavy traffic is without peer in the AFL and his star value went up after this one.

Heath Shaw - 8
First game back from his suspension and looked to ease back into his role. He backed himself strongly to rebound from the back half with some poised drop punting.

Steele Sidebottom - 5
Started on the bench and while he didn't quite dominate when he came on, he played a part with several drives inside 50.

Dane Swan - 9
Was a key player in the second quarter surge and set up scoring opportunities. Came into his own in the second half where he had 26 possessions and was a major factor in keeping the Magpies ahead when the Eagles looked threatening.

Chris Tarrant - 7
Had the job on dangerous Eagle Josh Kennedy and kept him quiet despite Kennedy kicking the first goal of the game. Influenced plenty of marking contests in the third quarter. Looked to be experiencing some discomfort towards the end but returned to the field to see the game out.

Alan Toovey - 4
Floated across defence and often found himself on much bigger players such as Quinten Lynch and Jack Darling. Was exposed in the last quarter on Lynch but is not usually a key defender.

Sharrod Wellingham - 8
Started on the bench but came on within minutes to get things moving for Collingwood. Booted three first-half goals and was instrumental in setting up the Magpies lead.

*sub not given rating points as he did not have sufficient game time to

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs