Collingwood proved it was the best team in Victoria on Friday night and its thrilling 16-point win over Essendon now gives the Magpies a great chance of proving they are the AFL’s best team come the start of the finals next week.

In front of the biggest crowd for any game in Victoria this season of 68,381, the Magpies finished over the Bombers after a desperate struggle all night to win 12.11 (83) to 9.13 (67).

The victory ensures the Magpies will finish in second place at the end of the home and away series, not only giving them the all-important double chance but a home qualifying final at the MCG next weekend.

And that match will almost certainly be against reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions – who handed the Magpies their only loss since the mid-season break back in round 19 – as long as the Lions don’t suffer a shock loss against the bottom-placed Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.

But as for the Bombers, the only other Victorian team that has qualified for the 2003 finals series – their premiership hopes now appear in tatters.

The Bombers are now unlikely to finish any higher than their current position of seventh – meaning they face the prospect of winning four knock-out finals, with the first one to be played on interstate soil, if they are to win the premiership.

Both teams came into this game on the back of eight wins in their past nine games and for once a much-hyped blockbuster lived up to its pre-match billing.

So ferocious was the opening that it was 14 minutes before a goal was scored when Essendon’s inspirational skipper James Hird found Mark McVeigh in the goalsquare after a superb 60 metre pass.

But the Pies slammed on the next three goals – the first a brilliant 50 metre goal on the run from Collingwood skipper Nathan Buckley, who like Hird, could not have done more to inspire his side throughout the entire match.

So even was the contest that the biggest lead all night was just 13 points, to Collingwood when Shane Woewodin - who played one of his best games for the Pies - broke through a pack and dribbled one through at the 19 minute mark of the second term.

However by half-time it was the Bombers by a goal with Collingwood turning that back into a one goal advantage at the last change as both teams struggled to kick goals in the extremely windy conditions.

But in the end it was the efforts of the Magpies’ two marking guns in attack in Chris Tarrant and Anthony Rocca that swung the game Collingwood’s way in the final term.

Despite kicking into the breeze, the Pies finished by far the stronger although they led by just five points after Ben Haynes snapped his second goal for the Bombers at the 16 minute mark of the last term.

But then Rocca, who had struggled to impose himself on a night not suited to tall forwards, stood tall with a magnificent mark over Scott Lucas at the 19 minute mark of the final term.

Rocca’s accurate conversion from 30 metres suddenly gave the Pies breathing space and seemed to inspire everyone of his teammates as the Bombers slumped, realising they had to conjure two goals in a low-scoring game with less than seven minutes remaining if they were to win the game.

But when Tarrant took a strong mark in front from a Heath Scotland kick that dropped short minutes later, the game was over as his shot from 35 metres buried any hopes the Bombers had of securing a top four finish.

It was Tarrant’s only goal of the night but he still finished with 22 touches to be the Pies’ fourth highest possession winner behind Woewodin and Licuria with 23 each and Buckley with 27.

The classy Hird matched Buckley’s possession tally for the Bombers while Dean Rioli had 24 touches and Jason Johnson 22.

But with Matthew Lloyd held to just two goals – despite Shane Wakelin leaving the field injured in the third quarter – the Bombers did not have the number of marking options in attack that Collingwood enjoyed and in the end that proved the difference.


COLLINGWOOD: 3.3, 5.7, 9.9, 12.11 (83)
ESSENDON: 1.3, 6.7, 8.9, 9.13 (67)

GOALS: Collingwood: Buckley, Rocca, Woewodin 2, Fraser, Lonie, O’Bree, Tarrant, Burns, Cole.
Essendon: Haynes, Lloyd, Solomon 2, McPhee, Jacobs, McVeigh.
BEST: Collingwood: Buckley, O’Bree, Cloke, Licuria, Burns, Cole, Woewodin.
Essendon: Hird, Fletcher, Jacobs, J Johnson, Rioli, Hille, Solomon, Haynes.
INJURIES: Collingwood: Wakelin (corked calf).
UMPIRES: Goldspink, McBurney and Wenn.
CROWD: 68,381 at MCG