JORDAN De Goey's importance to injury-ravaged Collingwood's finals aspirations has been emphasised by the bullocking Magpie's four-goal game against Brisbane on Saturday night.

De Goey, playing mainly in the forward line after missing the last two weeks with bone stress in his leg, was the Pies' most dangerous forward in their 31-point win over the Lions after overcoming a scratchy start.

He finished the game on the bench when the result was beyond doubt, with the Pies choosing to limit his game time.

MAGPIES BACK ON SONG Full match coverage and stats

The 14.20 (104) to 11.7 (73) win at Etihad Stadium keeps the Pies' top four ambitions alive, and although they'll remain in the bottom half of the eight at the end of this round, they'll be locked on 52 points at least with the fourth-placed Hawthorn with two games left.

The Lions weren't disgraced and played typically like a team with nothing to lose, with Dayne Beams leading the midfield charge with 33 touches, Alex Witherden picking up 30 and Eric Hipwood booting three goals.

They even led for the majority of the first half after getting the early jump and dominating the first quarter with 22 to six inside 50s, thanks to the experienced leadership of Luke Hodge.

Coach Chris Fagan was proud of the in-roads his team has made across the season with their ladder position not necessarily a reflection of their ability.

"We're better than a four-win team, I think everyone knows that," Fagan said.

"We're a much more competitive team [than last year]. I know we've improved a lot and the players know they've improved a lot, we haven't necessarily got the wins to show for it, but we're confident we're heading in the right direction."

On Saturday night, the first-quarter loss of Darcy Gardiner to a dislocated shoulder forced a reshuffle of the Lions' defence and Nick Robertson struggled at times to contain De Goey, who took a team-high four marks inside 50.

De Goey's successful return will be welcome news for the battered Pies.

Earlier on Saturday, they lost swingman Ben Reid to a calf injury in his VFL return following surgery on both knees early last month.

However, they appear to have emerged from the win over the Lions unscathed and are hoping to welcome back defender Jeremy Howe from a cork for next week's clash with Port Adelaide.

They will also be pleased with the form of Levi Greenwood, who claimed another scalp from a fiery tagging job against in-form Lions captain Dayne Zorko.

LIONS NO PUSHOVER Five talking points

Zorko had just two touches in the first quarter despite the Lions' early dominance where they locked the ball inside their forward 50 and forced the Pies into a number of horrendous back-half turnovers.

He didn't improve much after that, finishing with just 14 for the game, although he was treated for a sore ankle a few times after the main break.

Greenwood won the war but potentially not the moral battle, having nudged Zorko while he was crouching to attend to his ankle in the third quarter.

Coach Nathan Buckley said Greenwood's performance was "huge" after Zorko had 34 touches and kicked four goals against them in round seven.

"It wasn't just on Zorko, I thought his pressure around the clinches was back to his best and some of his tackle efforts and pressure on the opposition, whether it was Zorko or another player, really set the tone," Buckley said.

"I thought his performance was disciplined and consistent."

The Magpies as a collective were marginally better with their ball use in the second term, and it allowed De Goey a cleaner look at forward entries and saw Brody Mihocek boot two of his three goals.

After claiming the lead for the first time minutes before half-time, the Pies were only headed once again as they motored to 28-point lead at the final change.

Things got messy for the young Lions after that with Taylor Adams finishing with 33 disposals and Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury 28 each, with the Pies recording a much-needed win following losses to Richmond and Sydney in the last fortnight.

MEDICAL ROOM
Collingwood: The Magpies appear to have got through this one without adding to their lengthy injury list, but the loss of Reid to a torn calf in the VFL hurts. With their backline already decimated following season-ending injuries to Lynden Dunn and Matt Scharenberg, plus Darcy Moore's on-going hamstring trouble, Reid was one they would have loved to have been moving towards an AFL return. De Goey finished his first game back from leg bone stress on the bench in what the Pies said was a purely precautionary move.  

Brisbane Lions: Gardiner dislocated his shoulder in the first quarter in an attempted spoil. Medical staff were unable to reset it on the bench so he was taken into the rooms where it was successfully put back in. He didn't go to hospital but didn't return to the field, putting his season in jeopardy. Zorko had his right ankle treated in the third quarter and again during the final change after being stomped on, but finished the game and is expected to play next week.

NEXT UP
The Pies will host Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday in a game that looms as significant for both teams' September aspirations. The Lions will face "little brother" Gold Coast on Saturday night at Metricon Stadium.

COLLINGWOOD  1.3   5.7  11.14  14.20 (104)
BRISBANE          3.4   5.4    8.4    11.7 (73)  

GOALS
Collingwood: De Goey 4, Mihocek 3, Stephenson 2, Mayne 2, Varcoe, Sier, Thomas
Brisbane Lions: Hipwood 3, McStay 2, Robinson 2, Taylor 2, Cutler, Beams 

BEST 
Collingwood: De Goey, Adams, Grundy, Sidebottom, Sier, Pendlebury, Greenwood
Brisbane Lions: Beams, Hodge, Berry, Witherden, Hipwood, Martin 

INJURIES 
Collingwood: Nil
Brisbane Lions: Gardiner (dislocated right shoulder) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Williamson, Glouftsis

Official crowd: 33,390 at Etihad Stadium