A GROIN injury to Dustin Fletcher and the reporting of Courtney Johns have added to a miserable Anzac Day for Essendon.

The Dons 12.9 (81) went down to the Pies 23.16 (154) in front of a whopping crowd of 88,999 at the MCG- the ninth biggest home-and-away crowd in AFL history.

Collingwood forward Paul Medhurst was dynamic with six goals and his efforts were rewarded with the Anzac Day Medal.

And just to add further insult, Collingwood now holds the upper hand in Anzac Day contests, having won seven of the 14 contests with one draw.

Essendon, already without the injured Scott Lucas, Mark McVeigh, Leroy Jetta, Courtenay Dempsey, Scott Gumbleton and Sam Lonergan, also lost dynamo Alwyn Davey (knee) before the match and Fletcher during the second half.

Fletcher was one of his side's better performers but he left the field at the 26-minute mark of the third term and did not return in the final term. Johns was reported after he collided with Scott Pendlebury during the first quarter.

Collingwood set up the victory with eight unanswered goals from the 12-minute mark of the second term through to the 11-minute mark of the third quarter, when Essendon utility Andrew Welsh broke the run.

Although the Pies lost key forward Anthony Rocca before the match - his replacement was debutant Sharrod Wellingham - the likes of Medhurst and Travis Cloke (five) stepped up brilliantly in front of goal. Tarkyn Lockyer and Leon Davis also chipped in with three goals each.

Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Dane Swan, Shane O'Bree and Alan Didak were other good players.

For the Bombers, Jobe Watson got the ball 30 times and Brent Stanton (25 touches) battled hard, while Fletcher was good until he was injured. 

The opening term was played at a pulsating rate. Ten goals were registered in an engrossing period, but when the siren sounded to end the first break it was Collingwood which claimed a one-point advantage.

Essendon swung a surprise with its starting line-up, with Fletcher joining Matthew Lloyd and Jason Laycock in a tall-timber attack. And the move worked early on, with the trio combining with four goals.

For the Pies, Johnson, who won the 2006 Anzac Day Medal, staked his claim for another gong with an excellent first term. He sent the ball inside 50 on six occasions, as Heath Shaw won nine touches and Paul Medhurst landed two goals.

Kyle Reimers broke a Harry O'Brien tackle to post the first goal of the second term, giving the Dons a six-point lead. But that proved to be Essendon's only highlight, as Collingwood piled on six unanswered goals and entered the long change 31 points up.

It became party time for the Pies in the third term. Collingwood added four goals to one, as Rhyce Shaw and Medhurst entertained the crowd with some excellent marks.

Shaw managed to hang onto a brilliant diving mark with his second attempt, as Medhurst followed up soon after with a classical hanger in the goalsquare. He then went bang and claimed his fifth goal for the day.

Collingwood upped the ante even further in the final term with eight goals to four, ensuring it was the biggest Anzac Day victory in 14 encounters.

Essendon       5.2  6.6     7.7    12.9 (81)

GOALS

Collingwood: Medhurst 6, Cloke 5, Davis 3, Lockyer 3, Didak, Goldsack, Johnson, Swan, Thomas, Wood

Essendon: Lloyd 3, Dyson, Fletcher, Johns, Laycock, Michael, Nash, Reimers, Stanton, Welsh

BEST

Collingwood: Medhurst, Cloke, Pendlebury, Swan, H.Shaw, O'Bree, Didak, Davis, Johnson, R.Shaw

Essendon: Watson, Stanton, Hille, Lloyd

INJURIES

Collingwood: Rocca replaced in selected side by Wellingham

Essendon: Fletcher (groin), Davey (knee) replaced in selected side by Lovett-Murray

REPORTS

Essendon: Johns reported for rough conduct on Pendlebury

Umpires: Vozzo, Rosebury, McInerney

Crowd: 88,999 at the MCG