COLLINGWOOD has done it again. And Jamie Elliott has done it again. 

The Magpies have denied Carlton a finals spot by the finest of margins in the most dramatic fashion imaginable to secure a double chance in September. 

BLUES v PIES Full match coverage and stats

It was supposed to be a day of redemption for the Blues and it looked like Michael Voss would guide Carlton to the finals for the first time since 2013 when they kicked eight goals to one in the third quarter. 

But just when the game looked dead and buried, Collingwood climbed off the canvas to kick the final five goals to secure a one-point win and sink the enemy in front of 88,287 people at the MCG. 

It wasn't quite as clutch as a shot after the siren he managed against Essendon a month ago, but Elliott did it again to clinch the 11.9 (75) to 10.14 (74) victory, locking in a top-four spot, just 12 months after finishing second last with only six wins on the board. 

After starting the season 8-2, the Blues needed only one win from the final month of 2022 to return to September, but will now watch on next month after losses against Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and now Collingwood. 

It is a cruel game. 

When Carlton turned a 19-point half-time deficit into a 24-point lead at the final change, it looked home. But you can never rule Craig McRae's side out.

For the ninth time since round 11, the Magpies held on by single digits with the sweetest of wins. 

Like many of Collingwood's wins in the second half of the season – it has won 12 of 13 since falling to the Western Bulldogs in round nine – it looked beaten before finding a way to win. 

Carlton won all the key indicators – contested ball (+54), disposals (+22), inside 50s (+21) and clearances (+12) – but lost on the scoreboard. The difference, in the end, was scoring efficiency. The Blues kicked 0.6 to 5.1 in the last quarter. 

Charlie Curnow (2.5 from 17 disposals and eight marks) and Harry McKay (2.3 from 16 disposals and 10 marks) were enormous, but wasteful in front of goal.

Curnow finishes the season with the Coleman Medal – four ahead of Tom Lynch – after kicking 64 goals in the home and away season, providing Carlton with back-to-back winners. It is the first time two players from the same club have won the prize in consecutive years since the start of the 20th century when Essendon pair Fred Hiskins and Albert Thurgood saluted in 1900 and 1901. 

But after spending the entire home and away season inside the top eight – five weeks inside the top four – Carlton missed the finals.

NOT A FAILURE Voss discusses Blues missing finals, Pies' 'remarkable' run

McRae and Voss played in the famous Brisbane three-peat together and have remained great mates. Dinner was on the line today, just like it was back in round 11 when Collingwood prevailed by four points in front of more than 80,000 people. Voss picked up the tab last time. It will be his turn again, but this will hurt even more.

LATE OUT FOR BLUES
Carlton star Sam Walsh was a massive late out ahead of the must-win clash after failing to overcome back soreness in time to face the Pies. The 22-year-old missed the opening game of the season due to a syndesmosis injury, before missing the final game of the year. Much like Jordan De Goey for the Pies against Sydney last weekend, the loss of Walsh proved to be a major blow for the Blues. 

HUGE CROWD FOR BLOCKBUSTER FINISH 
More than 80,000 people turned up when these two sides last faced off back in round 11, just shy of the biggest mark for 2022 – 84,205 – on Anzac Day. The MCC had been aiming to better that mark between Collingwood and Essendon and it got there on a perfect Sunday afternoon as 88,287 fans crammed in on the final day of the home and away season in the biggest crowd since the pandemic. 

RECRUIT FIRES ON BIG STAGE
This is why Nick Austin and Brad Lloyd went and got Adam Cerra from Fremantle. Arguably the biggest fish in last year's Trade Period, alongside Jordan Dawson, the 22-year-old missed last week with a groin injury and has been good without being great of late. But with Walsh a late out, Matt Kennedy and George Hewett not playing, Cerra produced his best game yet in navy blue, just when Michael Voss needed him most. The former Docker finished with 27 disposals, six clearances and two goals.

CARLTON                0.3       2.5       10.8       10.14 (74)
COLLINGWOOD      3.5       5.6       6.8          11.9 (75)

GOALS
Carlton: Curnow 2, McKay 2, Motlop 2, Cerra 2, Docherty, Owies
Collingwood: Ginnivan 3, Elliott 2, Johnson 2, Sidebottom, Crisp, McCreery, Cox

BEST   
Carlton: Cripps, Cerra, Docherty, Curnow, McKay, Setterfield, Young
Collingwood: Moore, J.Daicos, Pendlebury, Maynard, N.Daicos, Ginnivan

INJURIES  
Carlton: Nil
Collingwood: Nil 

LATE CHANGES
Carlton: Sam Walsh (back soreness) replaced in selected side by Lochie O'Brien
Collingwood: Nil

SUBSTITUTES  
Carlton: Jack Newnes (unused)
Collingwood: Ollie Henry (unused)

Crowd: 88,287 at the MCG