The Magpies trailed by 10 points at the final change, but prevailed 6.18 (54) to 7.9 (51) in a thrilling contest.
Scores were level when Leigh Brown goaled in the final term, but the Crows fought back through Taylor Walker to lead by six points before Alan Didak dribbled through a goal to tie things up again.
A rushed behind then gave the Magpies the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the match. Dale Thomas took a strong mark close to goal and had a chance to seal the win, but he missed his shot with two minutes left, giving the Crows some hope.
But Collingwood fought hard to retain possession and held on for a critical win.
The Pies ground out their ninth straight victory despite leading for just nine minutes of the game - two in the first quarter and seven in the fourth - after a Travis Cloke behind gave them a one-point lead at the 19-minute mark of the final term.
After scoring the first goal of the night through Ivan Maric, the Crows held the lead at every change but their biggest advantage was just 14 points early in the second.
For the large part of the game, they looked like continuing their late-season revival, with Scott Thompson (29 touches) and Graham Johncock (27 touches, eight rebounds) serving them well.
The Magpies were uncharacteristically stagnant in the first half as the Crows locked them down and stifled them with intense pressure.
The shutdown saw the Pies record their lowest half time score all year and equal to the one they managed against the Crows in their winning semi-final last season.
The Magpies will aim for 10 consecutive wins when they meet Hawthorn next Saturday at the MCG while the Crows will host St Kilda at AAMI Stadium for their last match of 2010.
Collingwood 1.3 3.5 4.10 6.18 (54)
Adelaide 3.3 4.7 6.8 7.9 (51)
GOALS
Collingwood: Thomas 2, L. Brown 2, Cloke, Didak
Adelaide: Walker 2, Maric, Young, Henderson, Tippett, Stevens
BEST
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Thomas, Didak, Macaffer, Swan, Blair
Adelaide: Thompson, Johncock, Dangerfield, Sloane, Stevens, Young
INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Stevic, Findlay
Official crowd: 42,159 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
