Collingwood advances

Photo: Fairfax Photos

Collingwood has survived a roller-coaster elimination final at AAMI Stadium on Saturday to knock Adelaide out of the AFL premiership race and advance to a semi-final next week against either Geelong or St Kilda.

The Pies led by 15 points at quarter-time, trailed by 12 points at half-time and after building a 20-point three-quarter-time lead, staved off a final Crows challenge to emerge with a 19.11 (125) to 14.10 (94) win.

Adelaide kicked the first two goals of the final quarter through Scott Stevens and Nick Gill to cut Collingwood's lead to eight points, and after John Anthony booted his second, Stevens' sixth goal 13 minutes in had the margin down to seven points.

But All Australian-fancy Paul Medhurst stepped up to steer his side to a gritty win without injured skipper Scott Burns and club-suspended stars Heath Shaw and Alan Didak.

Medhurst unselfishly passed to Ryan Cook for a 15-metre shot the youngster amazingly missed, but the former Docker then hit up another youngster, Chris Dawes, who converted for his third goal.

After Irish Pie Marty Clarke goaled from a free-kick, Medhurst - who had five goal-assists for the match - marked again and booted his first goal for the afternoon to put the Pies up by 26 points. Anthony's third goal late in the game was the icing on the cake.

Dane Swan led the Pies with 23 possessions, and his two goals at the end of the first half kept his side in it when all appeared lost for the Carringbush.

Nick Maxwell tried his guts out all day and kicked a couple of goals and Dale Thomas - in doubt all week of even playing - was a major factor with 19 touches and a goal.

The Pies' effort was all the more miraculous given leading forward Travis Cloke (one goal) was unsighted for most of the day, Crows defender Travis Bock beating him hands down.

For the Crows, Stevens kicked four of his six goals in the first half, while Andrew McLeod was classy as always to finish with 19 touches and two goals. Retiring Crow Nathan Bassett had 11 disposals in his final game.

Collingwood started the game brilliantly in perfect conditions, and after missing a couple of early chances, the Pies slotted the first goal courtesy of a snap from a congested goal-square by Shannon Cox.

The visitors were the only side attacking early, and the pressure soon turned into more goals, with Dawes marking a brilliant  Anthony pass and converting on 10 minutes and Leon Davis kicking truly from 50 to give his side a 21-1 lead 17 minutes in.

Stevens pulled one back for the Crows a few minutes later after the Magpies over-sued the ball in the middle, but Collingwood restored its dominance with Josh Fraser slamming through a brilliant snap from 40 after working hard to win the ball at ground level.

Seconds before the quarter-time siren, Tyson Edwards was awarded a free for a high tackle and managed to kick the goal from a tight angle after the siren to get his side within 13 points at the first change (4.3 to 2.2).

The Crows emerged from the huddle a different side in the second term, and went about not only erasing the deficit, but setting up a half-time lead.

Graeme Johncock and McLeod kicked the first two goals of the term as Collingwood players struggled to get near the Sherrin, and when Stevens booted his second eight minutes in, the Crows took the lead by six points.

David Mackay added another for Adelaide as the Crows' AAMI Stadium cauldron threatened to boil over, the party halting momentarily when Maxwell kicked a much-needed major for the Pies from outside 50.

But the Crows weren't done with, and Stevens' amazing first half got even better when he snapped two goals in as many minutes to make it four for him and stretch the gap to 18 points 22 minutes in.

Young Pie John McCarthy's two turnovers helped Adelaide work the ball forward for Stevens' fourth. Stevens was then involved again moments later, the unheralded Crow marking on the flank before setting up Ivan Maric for yet another goal.

Gutsy Swan kicked the final two goals of the quarter completely against the tide, the latter of these set up brilliantly by Medhurst, but after kicking eight of the last 11 goals of the half, Adelaide headed to the rooms with a 9.6 (60) to 7.6 (48) advantage at the main break.

The contrast between quarters continued in the third term, as Collingwood somehow found its form again to wrest control of the game back from Adelaide.

Maxwell and Anthony kicked goals to tie the scores inside five minutes, and after Crows star McLeod kicked his second, Cloke finally booted his first to again knot the scores.

When Dawes was paid a very questionable mark 11 minutes in and converted for his second major, Collingwood had reclaimed the lead they lost in the second term.

Building on their momentum - and despite poor misses from Cloke, Davis and a harder chance from Swan - Rhyce Shaw found the mark to put the Pies up by 13 points at the 20-minute mark.

Another Collingwood goal, from a Tarkyn Lockyer set-shot, amazingly had Mick Malthouse's men up by 20.

Crows defender Bassett goaled from a free-kick with a minute to go in the quarter, but Thomas then won a clearance with three seconds to, and off one step, slammed through an inspirational goal a tick before the siren as his side carried a 14.9 (93) to 11.7 (73) lead at the final change.