THE INACCURACY that has plagued Collingwood this season returned on Sunday afternoon, but a spirited Brisbane Lions team was unable to take advantage as the Magpies won a scrappy clash by 45 points at the MCG.

For the first six rounds of the season the Magpies kicked more behinds than goals, and they relapsed in a calamitous third quarter that gave the Lions a sniff in a match they had never looked like winning.

Just 10 points separated the teams deep in the third quarter, but the Magpies were too strong and experienced, settling in the final term to kick seven of the last 10 goals and win 18.21 (129) to 13.6 (84).

Full match coverage and stats

As poor as the Magpies' goalkicking was, their midfield was dominant and Nathan Buckley can thank Scott Pendlebury and co. for delivering back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

The important win keeps Collingwood in touch with the mid-table logjam, taking their record to 4-6 in an up-and-down campaign that seems to only ever be one big loss away from crisis.

Five talking points: Collingwood v Brisbane Lions

Coach Nathan Buckley said his team had played its style of football for the majority of the match after being caught off-guard and conceding the opening two goals to the Lions.  

"I didn't think we brought the heat that we wanted to see early in the game and it made it a pretty open, free-flowing, open-scoring contest, which is not necessarily the way that we want to play our footy," the coach said. 

"But I thought we responded pretty well in the second quarter and for the most part after that, played the way that we wanted to play."

Pendlebury was outstanding for the Magpies, working in tight spaces and using the ball with typical care to finish with 31 possessions, seven clearances and nine inside 50s.   

He had plenty of sidekicks in a dominant midfield, with Adam Treloar (30 and seven clearances) and Taylor Adams (33 and five) enjoying big afternoons, while Steele Sidebottom worked off the back of the square at times to win a game-high 34 disposals.     

Those four Magpies combined for 77 possessions in a brilliant first half, giving the Magpies a 35-18 inside 50 advantage and setting up a 25-point lead that only looked like growing as the young Lions tired.

But their efforts were not rewarded by the team's wayward forwards in the third quarter as the Magpies booted 2.6, with Darcy Moore, Jamie Elliott and Tim Broomhead missing particularly gettable shots.

Elliott was dangerous all day and finished with 14 possessions and eight marks, but he was also a major culprit in front of goal, kicking 4.4, while Alex Fasolo booted 2.4. 

WATCH: All eyes on Elliott

As if to ram home the Magpies' failings in front of goal, the Lions took their chances in a third-quarter burst, with Rhys Mathieson and the brilliant Dayne Beams converting 50m set shots and Jake Barrett snapping accurately from the boundary. 

It took Collingwood full-back Lynden Dunn to sneak forward and snap his first goal for the club to end a four-goal run for the Lions, whose 4.3 for the term came from just 12 inside 50s.  

Beams was a star against his former club, finishing with 28 possessions six clearances and three goals, appearing hurt at times but pushing on to be his team's standout player. 

He was well supported by Dayne Zorko (28, 10 clearances and two goals), while Marco Paparone was very effective in a defensive forward role on Magpies' defender Jeremy Howe. 

Lions coach Chris Fagan focused on the positives, despite the club losing its ninth consecutive match, taking its record to 1-9 and anchoring them to the bottom of the ladder.   

"The third quarter was really exciting, just to see our guys fight back and for a while there put themselves in with a chance to win that game," Fagan said. 

"But Collingwood's experience and poise and our mistakes in the last quarter contributed to a fade-away." 

MEDICAL ROOM
Collingwood: Darcy Moore hurt his right shin in a ruck contest and left the ground, applying ice before three-quarter time. He returned in the final quarter, however, wearing a shin guard and the Magpies had no concerns about his fitness.  

Brisbane Lions: The Lions appeared to escape unscathed. 

NEXT UP
Collingwood travels to Domain Stadium to take on a Fremantle team licking its wounds after a 100-point loss to Adelaide. The Brisbane Lions have a bye before also taking on the Dockers at the Gabba in round 12.   

COLLINGWOOD          5.5       9.10     11.16   18.21 (129)
BRISBANE LIONS        4.3       6.3       10.6     13.6 (84)

GOALS

Collingwood: Elliott 4, Moore 3, Fasolo 2, Wells 2, Treloar, Sidebottom, Smith, Maynard, Dunn, Broomhead, Adams
Brisbane Lions: Beams 3, Zorko 2, Cutler, Smith, Hammelmann, Rich, Barrett, Berry, Mathieson, Hipwood

BEST 

Collingwood: Pendlebury ,Treloar, Sidebottom, Adams, Elliott, Grundy
Brisbane Lions: Beams, Zorko, Barrett, Paparone, Mayes, McCluggage

INJURIES 

Collingwood: Moore (right shin)
Brisbane Lions: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: O'Gorman, Stephens, Chamberlain

Official crowd: 32,750 at the MCG