IT STARTED right. And it stayed right.

A contest as classic as this came down to that one kick from Tim Membrey. After a series of would-be knockout blows, this kick – one that fell on the wrong side of the right post – would be the one that took the Western Bulldogs through to September and Collingwood to a night of misery.

BULLDOGS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

In the AFL's first ever wildcard final, Membrey's wayward shot after the siren proved all that could separate eighth from ninth. In a barnstorming affair, a brave Dogs team battled to put themselves in the position to eventually grind out a remarkable 14.12 (96) to 14.9 (93) victory.

Arty Jones, through his excitable four-goal haul, had seemed to cap a final quarter chocked full of incredible moments and momentum swings when he stopped, propped and snapped the lead-clenching major inside the game's final three minutes. But, of course, it wouldn't be so easy.

Collingwood came again. A hacked kick inside-50 with just a tick over 30 seconds remaining fell into Membrey's lap and, as he began his set-shot routine, the siren blared out and more than 80,000 delirious fans stood aghast. The kick went right, and the Western Bulldogs went into an elimination final.

Aaron Naughton joined Jones with four goals, Cody Weightman added a crucial couple himself, while Marcus Bontempelli (32 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) was among the game's best. They'll go again next week, with either Adelaide or Geelong on the horizon.

Nick Daicos (30 disposals, two goals) had spearheaded Collingwood's charge. Dan McStay kicked four himself and threatened to be the hero in Magpie colours as well, but it wouldn't be for Craig McRae's side. Membrey's miss proving the most devastating manner for a 2026 campaign full of 'what ifs?' to come to an end.

It had always loomed as a match that would threaten to go down to the wire. From the very outset, Collingwood had the game's big early moments but it was the Western Bulldogs that continually found the response.

A long bomb from Nick Daicos had cut through the caginess and tension that had shackled the game's early moments, producing the first big 'wow' moment of this year's finals campaign, while Charlie West soon had the Magpie Army in raptures when he produced a nutmeg of Buku Khamis off the deck to soccer in another.

But the Bulldogs were quietly going about their own business. A strong Bailey Dale intercept and a Jones chase-down tackle led to successive goals late in the first quarter, the first time any side had struck twice in succession, and enabled Luke Beveridge's side to sneak a nose ahead at the opening change.

Inspired by Bontempelli, the Dogs then tried to grab a foot hold in the contest. The captain first profited from a Nick Daicos turnover from a kick-in, turning the ankles of his superstar counterpart and then finishing on the run. At the other end, his huge first forced a behind and diffused a threatening situation in another moment that was just as important.

But after it led to three straight Bulldogs goals, it was then Collingwood's turn to respond. Ned Long was the next to profit from a flukish soccer-style effort off the turf, before McStay – a constant presence deep in attack – kicked his third of the half to ensure the Magpie deficit was limited to just 10 points at the main break.

Collingwood maybe should have been further behind than that. The Pies had produced nine fewer clearances and 12 fewer entries at half time, yet it was the goals and the hulking figure of McStay keeping them in it. Another couple of marks to start the second half, which led to a fourth goal, narrowed the margin even further.

It means the nervousness of finals ratcheted up, with both sides feeling it. Fumbles, mistakes and countless turnovers under barely any physical pressure suddenly became a recurring theme, as both sides sought find a breakaway moment. It was one that wouldn't eventuate just yet.

The Dogs tried – both Naughton and Jones added to their tallies in quick succession, making it three apiece for both – but the Magpies kept finding the answers. This time, as the third quarter ebbed towards its final stages, it was Nick Daicos displaying that famous arch of his back to evade a tackler and slot home on the run.

The gap was closing. When a fortuitous Nick Daicos free led to Darcy Cameron profiting, it became a kick. And when Angus Anderson streamed forward moments later, it became a point. For the first time all night, the 'Coll-ing-wood' chant was ringing around the MCG and the feel of September felt on the horizon.

By this point, it had started to feel like a prize fight. Ed Richards sharked a goal, Anderson countered at the other end. Jones' brilliant chase and instinctive prod put one on a plate for Cody Weightman, before Collingwood went bang-bang first through Jordan De Goey and then through Jack Crisp.

Naughton had a fourth from the next centre clearance, Membrey then had an immediate reply straight after. As the clock raced towards zeroes, and a packed MCG held its collective breath amid the non-stop action, both the lead and the moment zipped back and forth blindingly.

Even when the electric Jones snapped through the goal that would prove to be the ultimate winner, you knew the match was destined for one final moment. That fell upon Membrey, his kick after the siren fading at the very last minute and proving the final action of Collingwood's season. The Dogs, on the other end, would live to see another dramatic day.

Bevo brings back the sub
Remember those? Luke Beveridge certainly does. The Western Bulldogs used Ryan Gardner as a quasi-sub on Friday night. The defender didn't play a single minute of the first half, and even went through the customary sprints and run throughs at the intervals to ensure he stayed warm. Having been serviceable in a makeshift ruck role during an upset victory over Melbourne last week, Gardner was finally unleashed 13 minutes into the second half and came on in place of the returning Tim English and straight back into the middle. Unsurprisingly, his 16 per cent time on ground was the lowest anyone managed and he finished with just three disposals and one mark to his name.
 
Ed goes to Ed
Given the riches in the Western Bulldogs midfield, there were queries as to where Collingwood coach Craig McRae would place his tagger Ed Allan. In the end, he went to his namesake in Ed Richards. It was a shrewd move, given Richards' form across the season – he was arguably the stiffest of anyone to miss All-Australian selection on Tuesday night – and particularly throughout a dominant last month. But while Richards was still prolific, finishing with 25 disposals, seven clearances and a goal, a series of other Dogs players were also able to get off the chain. Marcus Bontempelli, who had 32 disposals, eight clearances and a goal himself, being chief among them.

WESTERN BULLDOGS       4.1     7.6     10.8    14.12 (96)
COLLINGWOOD                4.0     6.2     8.8      14.9 (93)
 
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 4, Jones 4, Weightman 2, Kennedy, Bontempelli, Davidson, Richards
Collingwood: McStay 4, N.Daicos 2, Anderson 2, West, Long, Cameron, De Goey, Crisp, Membrey
 
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Jones, Naughton, Kennedy, Dale, Freijah
Collingwood: N.Daicos, McStay, McCreery, Swadling, Lipinski, J.Daicos
 
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Matthew Kennedy (concussion)
Collingwood: Nil
 
Crowd: 81,036 at the MCG