Geelong’s defeat by Adelaide on Friday night, followed by the 15.10 (100) to 6.16 (52) Magpies victory, saw Collingwood leap over the Saints to the head of the ladder with six rounds remaining.
In front of 81,386 fans, the Saints could not match the Pies’ relentless pressure around the ground.
Collingwood was brilliantly led by its midfield brigade, with Dane Swan (36 possessions), Alan Didak (33) and Scott Pendlebury (27) orchestrating the victory and in the process ending the Saints seven-match unbeaten run.
Sam Fisher was the shining light for the Saints playing a loose-man role across half-back, finishing the match with 33 possessions including 18 marks, while Leigh Montagna battled hard for his 34 disposals.
With the Saints suffering a major blow before the game with the late withdrawal of midfielder Nick Dal Santo with back tightness, Collingwood’s tackling pressure and ferocity at the contest helped open up a three-goal lead at the quarter-time break.
Collingwood was dominating the inside 50 count (14-6), and the St Kilda defence was under siege as both Luke Ball and Heath Shaw set the tone with fierce tackles inside their forward 50 resulting in team-lifting goals for the Pies.
The Magpies continued from where they left off in the first quarter with early goals to Shaw and Brown putting them well in control of the contest as the Saints looked sluggish moving the ball from their defensive half.
Despite a mighty long-range goal from St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt on the half-time siren, hopes of a St Kilda revival were dashed early as the Pies kicked the first three goals of the third quarter while the Saints could only manage 1.6 for the term.
Collingwood led by 38 points at three-quarter time, and Macaffer capped off a brilliant game with a sensational snap from the boundary as the Pies recorded their 12th win of the season while condemning the Saints to just their fourth loss.
St Kilda's 22 scoring shots to 25 suggested that the contest was closer than it was in reality, with the Saints unable to gain traction at any time during the match.
They will look to rebound in a critical contest against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium next Friday night.
Collingwood 4.4 7.7 11.7 15.10 (100)
St Kilda 1.4 3.5 4.11 6.16 (52)
GOALS
Collingwood: Macaffer 3, Brown 3, Shaw 2, Beams 2, Ball, Davis, Dawes, Sidebottom, Swan
St Kilda: Steven 2, Geary, Koschitzke, Milne, Riewoldt
BEST:
Collingwood: Swan, Shaw, Ball, Pendlebury, Didak, Wellingham, Thomas, Johnson
St Kilda: Montagna, Fisher, Jones, Geary, Steven, Goddard
INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 81,386 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
