A SIX-GOAL haul from Jamie Elliott has helped Collingwood get over the line against a gallant Fremantle by 14 points at Optus Stadium on Thursday night.

Elliott kicked three goals in the final term as the Magpies secured a 15.7 (97) to 12.11 (83) victory.

DOCKERS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

It was the Dockers' second loss at home this season and their defeat will add to the building pressure on coach Justin Longmuir and his side that has been criticised for its inconsistency so far this season.

The Magpies came into the game undermanned, choosing to rest three of their guns in former captain Scott Pendlebury, Brayden Maynard and Jordan De Goey. The Magpies were also without key forward Brody Mihocek, who was missing with an abdominal strain.

In their absence, Bobby Hill and Elliott stood up, as did Jack Crisp (29 disposals, two goals and 709 metres gained) who wound back the clock with an outstanding performance.

Nick Daicos, who was being tagged by Fremantle's Corey Wagner, had a quiet night compared to his lofty standards, finishing the game with 18 disposals and a goal.

The Dockers battled hard for four quarters but fell short of a response after a disappointing loss to St Kilda last week.

Livewire recruit Shai Bolton spent a large amount of time in the midfield where he led with nine clearances and 28 disposals and provided a spark for the home side around the ball. He was joined by Jordan Clark (33 disposals) and Andrew Brayshaw (34 disposals, six clearances and a goal).

It was a completely different looking Fremantle to the side that took to the park the previous week. The Dockers came out with an energy and intensity that was missing in round eight against St Kilda when they only kicked seven points in a half of footy. 

Bolton had an immediate impact with three centre clearances in the first term, as did Dockers key forward Josh Treacy, who was kept goalless last week, when he kicked the first two goals of the game.

The Magpies were slow to start, potentially due to the travel and their five-day break, but a huge mark to Will Hoskin-Elliott in the goalsquare got his side on the scoreboard and it went from there. 

The mature Magpies outfit didn't panic when the Dockers took the lead and clawed their way back with four consecutive goals, two coming through Elliott.

An unlikely goalscorer in Dockers skipper Alex Pearce started scoring in the second quarter when he kicked a running goal from 50 metres to give Freo back the lead.

Nick Daicos was becoming frustrated with the heavy tag from Wagner and left the ground halfway during the second term to have his hip assessed by team physios. When he returned to the ground, the Magpies superstar headed to the forward line and had an immediate impact with three scoring opportunities, however he was only able to convert one major.

The lead changed several times throughout the term, but a goal and goal assist to Crisp put the Magpies in front by 10 points at half-time.

The Dockers started the second half winning clearances and gaining territory but squandered their opportunities in front of goal. Fremantle had more inside 50s but lacked polish with their entries, highlighted when Matthew Johnson missed a running shot on goal and Jye Amiss snapped and missed from close range. 

At the other end, Hill made them pay, the small forward causing headaches to Fremantle defenders with two goals in eight minutes.

Patrick Voss, who returned to the side this week after completing a three-match ban for striking Richmond's Nick Vlastuin in round five, kicked his second to keep the home side in touch.

An injury to big man Sean Darcy was not what the Dockers needed as he left the ground just before three-quarter time with knee soreness. Darcy tried to return to the ground following treatment, but quickly returned to the bench and was subbed out of the game.

Collingwood had the perfect start to the final term when Elliott kicked the first two to start the quarter, including a difficult set shot from the boundary 50m out that only a handful of players could kick.

As the intensity lifted with the game in the balance, a huge collision took place between former Docker Lachie Schultz and Jordan Clark in the middle of the ground. Shultz left the ground looking dazed and didn't return.

The Dockers refused to give up, kicking the next three and reducing the margin to 10 points. Sam Switkowski kicked his first, Bolton went forward and kicked a miracle goal and youngster Murphy Reid finally made an impact when he converted. 

But it was Elliott's night and he kicked his sixth to put the win beyond doubt, securing the Magpies' seventh win of the season and returning them to the top of the ladder.

Pressure builds on Dockers
The Dockers have been heavily criticised this week following their 61-point loss to St Kilda in round eight when they only managed to score one goal in a half of football. But their effort against the Magpies was much improved, with the Dockers playing out the four quarters and challenging Collingwood which now sits on top of the ladder. The performances of Shai Bolton and Jordan Clark would give Fremantle fans hope. But the defeat means it has now lost more games than it has won, and it lost to an undermanned Collingwood which was without Scott Pendlebury, Brayden Maynard, Brody Mihocek and Jordan De Goey. You'd feel Dockers supporters will walk away from Optus Stadium with mixed emotions.

Nick's quiet night 
Heading into Thursday's match, superstar midfielder Nick Daicos averaged 30.5 disposals and seven clearances this season. But against Fremantle he was well under that average with 18 disposals and four clearances. The hard-running mid was watched closely by the Dockers' Corey Wagner, but Daicos did spend some time off the field having his hip treated by the club physios. Did Daicos have a quiet night because he was sore or because Wagner's tag worked? It could be a combination of both, but there's no doubt it will be a talking point following Thursday night's game.

FREMANTLE               4.3     7.5       8.8      12.11 (83)  
COLLINGWOOD         5.2     9.3      11.5      15.7 (97)  

GOALS
Fremantle: Voss 2, Treacy 2, Switkowski, Sharp, Reid, Pearce, Frederick, Dudley, Brayshaw, Bolton
Collingwood: Elliott 6, Hill 3, Crisp 2, Long, Hoskin-Elliott, N.Daicos, Cox

BEST
Fremantle: Clark, Bolton, Brayshaw, Jackson, Ryan
Collingwood: Elliott, Crisp, Hill, Frampton, J.Daicos

INJURIES
Fremantle: Darcy (knee soreness)
Collingwood: Schultz (concussion)

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Neil Erasmus (replaced Sean Darcy in the third quarter)
Collingwood: Oleg Markov (replaced Steele Sidebottom at three-quarter time)

Crowd: TBC at Optus Stadium