Both teams will now feature in September, but the Magpies will enter the finals with much more confidence than their struggling opponents.
A Lions victory, which seemed assured at three-quarter time when they led the Blues by 32 points, would have made next week's Swans-Lions clash at the SCG a play-off for a spot in the eight, but Carlton's last-quarter surge ensured that Paul Roos' team will play in the finals yet again.
Collingwood was in command all night, with an eight goals to two first quarter setting the tone and effectively ending the match as a contest.
The Pies won 18.10 (118) to 10.13 (73) in front of 45,507 fans.
If there was any doubt about the likely outcome of the match at half time – when the Magpies led by 45 points – it was resolved in the first 12 minutes of the third term, by which time three more majors had stretched the margin beyond 10 goals.
The Swans were more competitive in the second half, with key players Brett Kirk and Barry Hall lifting after being virtually unsighted, but were never in the game after the Magpies' lighting start.
The final term was an anti-climax, with all the sting out of the match, but the Swans can at least boast outscoring Collingwood for one quarter.
Dane Swan was outstanding for the Magpies and Leon Davis was always threatening around the ground and up forward, while Travis Cloke marked strongly for five goals.
Good players for the Swans were hard to find, but Jude Bolton won plenty of the ball, Kirk fought out the game strongly, and Jarred Moore managed three goals, along with Hall.
The poor form of defender Leo Barry, who looked slow and unsure, and Adam Goodes, who was anonymous all night, will be of concern to Swans coach Paul Roos, whose side is limping towards September.
The Magpies held a 36-point lead at the first break, and extended that to eight goals 10 minutes into the second term.
The Swans were constantly under pressure, and their high handball count was testament to Collingwood's intensity rather than any creativity from the visitors.
It took a free and a 50-metre penalty against Nick Maxwell for the Swans to kick their third goal through Jared Moore at the 12-minute mark of the second quarter, and their fourth came through Darren Jolly after the half time siren.
Collingwood, as has been its recent habit against the Swans, got off to a flier. Thirteen minutes into the game, the Pies had 5.1 on the board to nothing, and the visitors had managed just six kicks, only two of which were effective.
The Swans finally got onto the scoreboard 18 minutes in with a goal to first-year player Patrick Veszpremi after winning a free kick against Harry O'Brien, but Travis Cloke marked strongly restore a five-goal lead.
Veszpremi was proving lively around half-forward for the Swans, who had stemmed the bleeding around the ground but were unable to apply any real scoreboard pressure. He got the ball to Barry Hall, who was the only marking target close to goal, but the Swans full-forward missed his shot.
Hall redeemed himself a couple of minutes later with a brilliant snap that closed the margin to 23 points, but with quarter time closing, Collingwood conjured up two quick goals; one to Leon Davis after superb roving, and a set shot from Cloke. When the siren sounded, the Pies had a six-goal break.
Nathan Brown was a late withdrawal for Collingwood with general soreness. He was replaced by Shannon Cox.
COLLINGWOOD 8.3 11.6 15.8 18.10 (118)
SYDNEY SWANS 2.3 4.3 6.7 10.13 (73)
Goals: Collingwood: T Cloke 5 L Davis 2 J Anthony 2 S O'Bree P Medhurst J McCarthy S Pendlebury S Cox T Goldsack T Lockyer D Swan M Clarke. Sydney Swans: B Hall 3 J Moore 3 D Jolly P Veszpremi K Jack A Goodes.
Best: Colllingwood: L Davis D Swan T Cloke S Cox S Pendlebury H O'Brien T Goldsack S O'Bree. Sydney Swans: J Bolton B Hall M Mattner B Kirk.
Umpires: S Jeffery B Rosebury M Vozzo.
Crowd: 45,570 at Telstra Dome.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
