Luke Ball - 8
Among the Magpies' best the entire night, and it was only fitting that he kicked the winning goal with a brilliant clearance and left-foot snap inside the final three minutes.

Dayne Beams - 2
Non-existent the three quarters he played, notching just two disposals before being replaced by Alan Didak.

Jarryd Blair - 6
Was slow early but found more of the ball as the night wore on. A great penetrating kick over the back set up one of Travis Cloke's three goals.

Leigh Brown - 3
Extremely quiet and struggled to get involved either up forward or in the ruck. Had just four touches all night and will need to lift next week.

Travis Cloke - 8
Was the most dangerous forward on the ground and finished with three goals. Took a number of strong pack marks, including one in the last term that gave the Magpies their first lead since the opening quarter. Grabbed a match-high 11 marks.

Leon Davis - 6.5
Got plenty of the ball in the first half but blotted his copybook with some uncharacteristic poor kicking. Gave away three free kicks in goal-scoring range. Was swung forward in the last quarter and kicked a cracking left-foot goal from 50m.

Chris Dawes - 6.5
Helped keep his team in the match when they struggled, booting three goals in the first three quarters. Showed signs of getting back to his best and was a good foil for Cloke.

Alan Didak - 3
After edging out Alex Fasolo for a spot in the team, he saw one quarter of action and had minimal impact.

Ben Johnson - 6
Was consistent the entire night and gave some good drive from the back half without being a standout.

Darren Jolly - 6.5
Answered the critics after some sub-par performances of late with a strong showing. Was terrific in the first half with some strong ruck play and a goal going forward. Faded a bit in the second half and was taken off late with what looked like a groin injury.

Andrew Krakouer - 4
Very quiet game and struggled to get involved. Finished with 13 touches but most of them were scrappy, and he had no impact in the forward half.

Nick Maxwell - 6.5
Like a lot of his teammates, the Collingwood captain was quiet early, but worked into the match the more it went. Took a number of trademark intercept marks in the fourth quarter to help get his team over the line.

Harry O'Brien - 6
A solid display, but a far cry from the dominant force he was against West Coast two weeks ago. Struggled to get free but still did all the tough things that characterise his game.

Scott Pendlebury - 7.5
Finished with plenty of the ball (32 touches) and was important when the Magpies were struggling. Missed three long-range shots for goal but his scrubby kick forward in the third ended up in an easy mark for Dawes in the goalsquare.

Ben Reid - 5
After recovering from a groin injury to take his place, Reid was taken into the rooms to have his upper right leg strapped late in the first quarter. He looked proppy upon return but saw the game out.

Heath Shaw - 6.5
In just his second match in 11 weeks, Shaw was again strong. Kept Brendan Whitecross quiet and found his offensive spark in the second half to help set up a brick wall across half-back.

Steele Sidebottom - 5
Generally had a quiet night but helped set up a goal for Dawes in the last quarter that kept Collingwood in the hunt.

Dane Swan - 8
As is his trademark, Swan ran and ran and ran until he became a huge influence. Particularly big in the second and third terms, and conjured a great goal from deep in the right forward pocket in the last quarter. Had 32 touches.

Chris Tarrant - 7
Had the arduous task of marking Lance Franklin and generally did a superb job. Charged out to win the first one-on-one contest, and despite Franklin's three goals can hold his head high.  

Dale Thomas - 6.5
In the first half, ‘Daisy’ looked like he'd missed four months as opposed to four weeks, with a few fumbles and his timing out of whack. Worked tirelessly to finish with 20 touches, and his ninth and final tackle of the match on Cyril Rioli sealed the win.

Alan Toovey - 6
Did a solid job on Michael Osborne but struggled to get much of the ball. Played his defensive role to a tee.

Sharrod Wellingham - 5.5
Not quite the same impact as when he kicked three goals against the Eagles in the qualifying final. Wellingham was like a number of the middle-tier Magpies who struggled to make an impact.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.