COLLINGWOOD has secured its wildcard spot and found an extra scoring gear to take into September, overcoming a spate of injuries to beat West Coast by 19 points in a Sunday afternoon shootout at Optus Stadium. 

Challenged early by a ferocious Eagles team desperate to take a scalp, the Magpies took charge in a five-goal third quarter and held off a late West Coast surge in the final term to win 17.15 (117) to 15.8 (98).  

EAGLES v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

With 12 wins and a draw, the Magpies now sit a game-and-a-half outside the top six and can thank superstar Nick Daicos for the important win, with the midfielder producing a supreme performance under physical pressure.

Tagged by Brady Hough, cleaned up in a late hit by Harley Reid, and jeered by West Coast fans, Daicos had the last laugh with 39 disposals, 10 clearances and 12 score involvements to almost certainly claim another three Brownlow Medal votes.

Forward Lachie Schultz kicked three goals in a superb performance as a deep forward, kicking a clutch final quarter goal that gave the Magpies breathing room as the Eagles mounted a charge.

The win was just as significant for who was missing on Sunday, however, after the Magpies' experience was decimated by injuries to Jeremy Howe, Pat Lipinski, Jordan De Goey, Harry Perryman and Scott Pendlebury.

With key players missing, Collingwood’s system under Craig McRae held up, with Dan McStay (three goals), Josh Daicos (35 and six tackles), Darcy Cameron (24 and 30 hitouts) and Tim Membrey (20 and three goals) among the Magpies who stood up in an even team performance.

They kicked their second highest score for the season, with 10 separate goalkickers as the Eagles challenged them in a highly entertaining and physical contest.

Reid was at the forefront for West Coast, battling through a painful corked leg to have a team-high 30 disposals and six clearances, while Elliot Yeo (28 and 11) hit impressive form in the midfield. Jake Waterman kicked a team-high three goals.

Indeed, the Eagles had their kicking boots on early on Sunday, turning around their form in front of goal to kick 6.0 in the first quarter in addition to a rushed behind, with Jobe Shanahan leading the way with a pair of set shot goals.

In what turned into a 12-goal shootout in the opening term, West Coast played thrilling counter-attack football and utilised handball chains through the middle to create its opportunities.

The Magpies, meanwhile, were sparked by superstar Nick Daicos in the midfield, who shook off a tight tag from Hough, while Schultz and McStay kicked a pair of goals each.

Yeo launched a running goal from 50m in the final seconds to cut Collingwood’s lead to two points at the first change, with the midfielder capping a strong opening term with his first goal since round 13.

The Eagles' pressure and physicality lifted again in the second quarter, with the team tackling in packs and Brandon Starcevich landing a brutal and fair bump on Ed Allan in the middle of the ground.

Andrew McQualter's men were moving the ball from inside to outside through quick handballs, with Jack Graham putting the Eagles 11 points up when he charged forward to convert on the run.

It was a thrilling style when it worked, but it came undone on occasions through skill errors that created opportunities for the Magpies late in the quarter, with Nick Daicos kicking a brilliant running goal from 50m to cap a half that saw him rack up 21 disposals, six clearances and six inside 50s.

West Coast couldn't stop the Brownlow Medal favourite in the third, with Collingwood’s midfield collectively getting on top in clearances (12-9) and inside 50s (20-12), building a 34-point lead.

The Eagles continued to take risky options with the ball but came undone too often, with the Magpies hitting the 100-point mark late in the quarter. However, a pair of late goals to the home team through Reid and Jack Williams cut the margin to 23 points.

West Coast threw everything it had at the final quarter and looked like surging towards a breakthrough win after Cooper Duff-Tytler converted a set shot to cut the margin to 11 points early in the term.

A desperate effort on the goal line from Jack Crisp saved another goal moments later, however, with the Magpies able to go end-to-end for Membrey to convert a steadying set shot.

From there Collingwood held on to secure a wildcard position and keep its prospects of a top-six finish alive. 

Powerful Eagle lands team-lifting hit
It is not often in modern football that you see brutal bumps like the one that Brandon Starcevich landed on Ed Allan during the second quarter. An old fashioned hip and shoulder, Starcevich was in the perfect position as Allen collected a handball from Nick Daicos and turned blindly into the former Brisbane star's path. Starcevich was careful not to make high contact in a fair hit that lifted his teammates. Allan, meanwhile, bounced quickly to his feet in a moment that would also have inspired the Magpies. With no harm done, it was an awesome moment that highlighted the physical and spirited nature of Sunday's clash. 

Handball can be Eagles' weapon and weakness   
The best passages of Sunday's game for West Coast started with fast, instinctive handball chains that moved the ball from the contest into space and ended with goals, including those to Tom Gross, Elliot Yeo and Jack Graham. Some of their worst passages, however, were the result of skill errors by hand or misreading the play and putting a teammate into a poor position. The Eagles average 139.3 handballs this season and 108.8 handball receives. On Sunday they had 177 and 135 respectively. The skill errors will be ironed out as the group develops, but as far as the system goes, this looked like a step forward and an exciting development. 

Decisive Daicos applauds crowd
The difference in this match was the eight goals that Collingwood kicked to West Coast's one either side of half-time in a burst that was started by Collingwood's midfield superstar. Daicos intervened during the Eagles' period on top to boot a brilliant 50m goal on the run, sparking his team and ensuring they entered half time on top. Near the end of that eight-goal-to-one run, Daicos was floored by a heavy bump from Reid, staying down momentarily after disposing of the ball at half-back. He came from the ground to jeers from the Eagles fans, and gave them a round of applause of his own as he jogged off. The Eagles tried everything to stop the Brownlow Medal favourite, but this was his night. 

WEST COAST       6.1    9.5    12.6    15.8 (98)
COLLINGWOOD     6.3   10.5   15.11   17.15 (117)

GOALS
West Coast: Waterman 3, Gross 2, J.Williams 2, Shanahan 2, Reid, Yeo, Kelly, Murdock, Duff-Tytler, Graham
Collingwood: Schultz 3, Membrey 3, McStay 3, Steele 2, N.Daicos,  Allan, Houston, Swadling, Sullivan, Hayes

BEST
West Coast: Yeo, Reid, Waterman, Kelly, McCarthy, Baker
Collingwood: N.Daicos, Schultz, Frampton, J.Daicos, McStay, Membrey, Cameron

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Collingwood: Nil

Crowd: 47,609 at Optus Stadium