YOU ALL know the numbers, and now it is time to analyse the best of Collingwood's thrilling victories under Craig McRae.
The second-year coach has a winning percentage of 76.7 per cent after guiding the Magpies to a 33rd win from 43 games, at Adelaide Oval last Saturday night.
Of those wins, a remarkable 13 have been decided by less than 10 points. None of the 13 arrived in McRae's first ten games in charge, with the incredible run starting when Collingwood beat Carlton by four points in front of 80,627 fans in round 11 last May. That's 13 of its past 33 games.
In that time, the Magpies have also lost three games by single digits; last year's qualifying final to Geelong (six points) and preliminary final to Sydney (one point), plus this year's King's Birthday clash against Melbourne (four points). They also lost last year's Easter Thursday game to Brisbane (seven points) before this journey clicked into gear.
But the stat that sums up Collingwood best under McRae is the fact they have been behind at three-quarter time on 16 occasions and won 12 of those games. They are, quite simply, never out of it.
Which of the 13 close wins has been Collingwood's best? Here's how we rank them.
13. Collingwood 13.10 (88) def North Melbourne 12.9 (86)
R17, 2022 at the MCG – crowd of 45,039
This was not one of the more memorable thrillers. After being smashed by 112 points the week before, North Melbourne stunned Collingwood for three quarters and nearly pulled off one of the upsets of the season. The Kangaroos led at every change, turning for home 26 points ahead on the back of five goals from Nick Larkey. But it wasn't enough as the Pies kicked 5.5 to 0.2 in the final quarter to save face at the MCG.
12. Collingwood 10.12 (72) def Hawthorn 10.8 (68)
After winning only six games in 2021, the Magpies bettered that mark by midway through 2022 when they beat Hawthorn in an ugly game at the MCG. The Hawks kicked six goals to three after half-time, but it wasn't enough to get the job done in the end. Ollie Henry kicked the final goal of the game after he'd earlier kicked a crucial major after the three-quarter time siren.
11. Collingwood 13.10 (88) def Port Adelaide 12.10 (82)
When Josh Carmichael kicked a goal to put Collingwood three goals up halfway through the last quarter, the Magpies looked home. But they were forced to endure a nervous finish after Mitch Georgiades and Jase Burgoyne stepped up with goals of their own. Jack Ginnivan kicked three and Josh Daicos fired in a game that secured a remarkable 10th straight victory for a side that had won only six games the previous season.
10. Collingwood 10.10 (70) def St Kilda 9.10 (64)
R5, 2023 at Adelaide Oval – 43,976
The inaugural Gather Round concluded with Collingwood ending St Kilda's perfect start to the Ross Lyon 2.0 era. The Saints arrived in South Australia 4-0 but it was the Magpies who departed with the four points after looking home before St Kilda kicked three goals in time-on to give the Pies a late fright at the Adelaide Oval. Nick Daicos amassed 42 disposals and 856 metres gained in an early-season masterclass by the Brownlow Medal favourite.
9. Collingwood 9.13 (67) def Gold Coast 8.14 (62)
R16, 2022 at Heritage Bank Stadium – 16,027
The Magpies trailed by 14 points early in the final quarter when Izak Rankine kicked his third and fourth goals. But then Josh Daicos and Brody Mihocek stepped up before Will Hoskin-Elliott nailed the winner to seal a five-point victory. This was also the game when Darcy Moore's season looked almost certainly over when his knee buckled beneath him with less than three minutes to play, but the star defender escaped serious injury.
8. Collingwood 14.7 (91) def Adelaide 13.8 (86)
R18, 2022 at Adelaide Oval – 30,110
Milestone games don't always go to plan, but Collingwood celebrated Scott Pendlebury's 350th game in style, overcoming another deficit at the final change to secure a memorable win in the wet at Adelaide Oval. The Crows kicked the final two goals of the game, but McRae's men held on as Nick Daicos amassed 40 disposals and kicked three goals to claim the three Brownlow votes.
7. Collingwood 12.10 (82) def Adelaide 11.14 (80)
After reaching half-time with a 27-point deficit, Adelaide flicked the switch after the main break, kicking seven goals to none in a third-quarter blitz that had the Crows leading by 13 points at the final break. Mason Cox stood up with two last-quarter set shot goals, inciting a melee at one point to spark the Pies into action. When Taylor Walker slotted his fifth second-half goal, the margin was under a kick with three minutes to play, but McRae's men did it again to hand the Crows another loss away from home. The Daicos brothers ran amok, combining for 70 touches, while Jordan Dawson was massive for the Crows.
6. Collingwood 11.13 (79) def Carlton 11.9 (75)
This is where it all began. Collingwood led by 11 points at the final break and looked home when they kicked three goals in a row in the last quarter, but it was far from over. The Blues kicked the final three goals of the game and could have pinched the win, but fell just short in a tense and controversial finish.
5. Collingwood 8.11 (59) def Adelaide 7.16 (58)
R7, 2023 at Adelaide Oval – 43,942
This one came down to a behind from Steele Sidebottom with 30 seconds to play to seal another memorable come-from-behind win. Matthew Nicks' men led by 16 points at the final change and by 22 points when Chayce Jones kicked the first goal of the final term, before Ash Johnson, Josh Daicos and John Noble nailed big last-quarter goals. Daicos finished with 31 touches, while Brody Mihocek kicked three goals. Darcy Moore took the final intercept mark of the game to seal a trademark win on a Sunday night.
4. Collingwood 15.6 (96) def Melbourne 13.11 (89)
Despite all the wins Collingwood banked in McRae's first season in charge, it wasn't until this Friday night game at the MCG that they finally looked like a team capable of going all the way. Melbourne led at every change – and by as much as 23 points in the second quarter – but the never-say-die Pies recorded a sixth straight win by single digits and 11th in a row on the back of four goals each from Ash Johnson and Jamie Elliott. Brayden Maynard set the tone early when he nailed Ed Langdon in a crunching tackle, days after the Melbourne wingman said the Magpies were "all duck, no dinner" and a "one-trick pony".
3. Collingwood 13.7 (85) v Port Adelaide 12.11 (83)
R19, 2023 at Adelaide Oval – 47,965
Forget recency bias, this was one of the games of the season and a game that could prove to be a dress rehearsal for the final Saturday in September. Collingwood recovered from 17 points down at three-quarter time to pinch a stunning comeback win on the road. And it was Jamie Elliott who kicked another clutch goal with three minutes on the clock to seal a win that put some space between the Magpies and the Power at the top of the ladder, putting Collingwood on a path to its first minor premiership since 2011. Elliott finished with three goals, continuing his resurgence in 2023, while McRae labelled it the best game he has been involved in for good reason. Wins on the road, in the wet, don't get much better.
2. Collingwood 12.8 (80) def Essendon 11.10 (76)
R19, 2022 at the MCG – 72,402
Does it get any better than kicking a goal after the siren against your rivals on the big stage? Jamie Elliott has produced plenty of clutch moments in his career, but not many have been bigger or better than the blow he landed to sink Essendon after the siren. The Magpies kicked all six goals of the first quarter to appear to put the game to bed, but Essendon awoke across the middle two quarters to lead by 14 points at three-quarter time. After two game-changing goals from medi-sub Josh Carmichael and a costly miss by Bomber Harrison Jones, there came a moment that will never be forgotten. Darcy Moore steamed out of defence and found Trent Bianco, who kicked long to half-forward where Elliott marked between two Essendon players. Then, he calmly went back and slotted the set shot from 50 metres out on the boundary line.
1. Collingwood 11.9 (75) def Carlton 10.14 (74)
You couldn't script it any better from a Collingwood perspective. Carlton needed to win once in the final month of the home and away season to return to September for the first time since 2013. After they had blown their first three chances, the Magpies sank the Blues by a single point to end their rival's season in the cruellest possible manner. Michael Voss' side turned a 19-point half-time deficit into a 24-point lead at the final change on the back of eight goals to one in a savage third-quarter burst. But just when they had one foot back in the finals, the Pies kicked all five goals of the fourth quarter, with Jamie Elliott stepping up again with another moment of individual brilliance to send Collingwood supporters into a state of delirium and Carlton fans heading for the exits.
