COLLINGWOOD    3.5    6.6    11.10    12.13 (85)
WEST COAST          2.3    7.6      9.7     12.10 (82)

Collingwood has climbed to the top of the AFL ladder after defeating a gallant West Coast by three points at the MCG.

The Pies were taken to the very verge of defeat but where able to hold on in a match that lived up to the hype.
Dayne Beams (34 disposals, three goals), Dane Swan (38 disposals, seven clearances) and Travis Cloke (five goals) were crucial to the Pies win while Daniel Kerr (29 disposals, nine clearances) was best for the visitors.

Collingwood flew out of the blocks early, booting the first three goals to break out to a 19-point lead.  The Eagles through Hams and Sheppard were eventually able to steady the ship, bringing the margin back to eight points at quarter time.

Each team had stages of patchy disposal, allowing the other side to open avenues to attack. Ultimately, the game was of a high standard, with the pressure resembling that of a finals game.

The second quarter saw the see-sawing trend continue, except with West Coast taking control of the contes, kicking six goals to three to take a seven point lead at the main break.

Determined to take top position, Collingwood delivered a stellar premiership quarter performance, with Jarryd Blair and Cloke combining for the first four goals of the quarter.

When Alex Fasolo put Collingwood 27 points clear, the result seemed to be inevitable.

The Eagles rallied however and goals to Chris Masten and Kerr brought the margin back to a gettable 15 points at the last change. West Coast carried that momentum on, with Jack Darling, Nic Natanui and Josh Hill kicking goals to put the Eagles in front at the MCG.

Collingwood once more had an answer, with Beams continuing on with his spectacular game, kicking what turned out to be the winning goal of the game, as the Magpies held on for the final few minutes to claim a thrilling three point victory.

VOTES

3) Dayne Beams

2) Dane Swan

1) Travis Cloke

GOALS
Collingwood: Cloke 5, Beams 3, Fasolo 2, Blair 2
West Coast: Lynch 2, Hams 2, Darling 2, Hill 2, Sheppard, Masten, Kerr, Naitanui

BEST
Collingwood: Beams, Swan, Cloke, Thomas, Blair, Shaw, Maxwell, Jolly
West Coast: Kerr, Waters, Priddis, Shuey, Naitanui, Glass, Lynch

INJURIES
Collingwood: Chris Tarrant (arm) replaced in the selected side by Tom Young
West Coast: Nil


SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Tom Young replaced Martin Clarke in the final quarter
West Coast: Tom Swift replaced Mitch Brown in the final quarter


Reports: Nil


Umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Findlay

Official crowd: 62,957 at the MCG