The Pies won 20.15 (135) to Adelaide's 14.8 (92) despite staring at defeat in the final term, showing what a difference a bit of confidence can make to a team as good as Collingwood.
In the first half the Magpies, who were without late withdrawal Leigh Brown (calf), looked listless and unsure of every kick.
As a result, they had only 2.10 on the board at the long break and trailed the Crows by 30 points.
Adelaide's second term was outstanding as the Crows managed four goals to none and had the Magpies under enormous pressure.
But the reigning premiers can flick a switch when needed, and after appearing headed for consecutive defeats they did just that.
Collingwood slammed on 18 goals to six after half-time in a display of football that was supremely powerful, seriously entertaining and an absolutely frightening message for the other 16 teams in the competition.
The Magpies' 20.15 (135) to 14.8 (92) win came on the back of an incredible 11-goal final term, which was reminiscent of their last-quarter demolition of the Western Bulldogs in round six.
The closing 30 minutes against the Crows featured a towering mark taken by Andrew Krakouer, which will surely be a contender for mark of the year, plus a 55m torpedo goal from Dale Thomas, who was brilliant when the game was there to be won.
The final score gives little indication of how the contest panned out in the first three and a half quarters.
Early in the final term the Crows were still 23 points up, but they were blown apart as Thomas and Pendlebury took control in the middle and Krakouer came alive in the forward line.
Quarter by quarter
First quarter
The Crows stunned the Collingwood faithful into silence in the opening term with their quick ball movement forward. An open forward line gave forward Kurt Tippett the space to lead into, and the Crow got off to a flying start, kicking two 50m goals. The inside 50s were relatively even, with the Pies just in front 14-13, but Collingwood was wasteful in attack. The Pies kicked 2.6 with Travis Cloke hitting the post on the siren, while Chris Dawes didn't touch the football. Pies skipper Nick Maxwell started the game in attack and looked like a fish out of water, while his teammates in defence appeared disorganised and in desperate need of their skipper's direction.
Second quarter
Adelaide's assault on Collingwood continued in the second term with the Pies kept goalless for the first time since the third quarter of the first Grand Final last year. The Crows rebounded from defence brilliantly with 15 rebound 50s to the Pies seven, something most teams have struggled to execute effectively due to Collingwood's full ground press. The Crows pushed numbers back behind the ball when the Magpies went into attack making it difficult for the forwards to find space while defender James Sellar continued his great work on Dawes, with the big man goalless with only two touches in the first half. Adelaide's ruck combination of Sam Jacobs and Shaun McKernan dominated Magpie Cameron Wood in the ruck with the hit-outs 32 to 15 in the Crows' favour.
Third quarter
The game really opened up in the third term with the Pies kicking seven goals to four. Collingwood looked a different side with coach Mick Malthouse making some changes at half-time. Defender Heath Shaw was moved onto the wing, while Maxwell was sent back to defence to marshall his troops. Dawes began to find his feet with a goal to open the quarter, and one just before three-quarter time to put the Pies within 12 points. He finished the term with six disposals, two tackles and two goals.
Final quarter
The Pies were incredible in the final quarter, kicking 11 goals to the Crows' two. Despite being down by 23 points six minutes into the last term, the Magpies were able to take a stronghold on the game. The Adelaide defence had held up well for most of the day, but was absolutely peppered in the last quarter. Collingwood had 12 inside 50s for the quarter while the Crows only managed eight. Magpie Dale Thomas was outstanding with 10 touches for the quarter and finished the day with 24 disposals, seven tackles and two goals. His last goal came at the 22nd minute mark of the final quarter where he launched a sublime torpedo from outside 50m to seal the win.
Collingwood 2.6 2.10 9.12 20.15 (135)
Adelaide 4.1 8.4 12.6 14.8 (92)
GOALS
Collingwood: Dawes 3, Krakouer 3, Wellingham 3, Thomas 2, Tarrant 2, Ball 2, McCarthy, Buckley, Shaw, Beams, Swan
Adelaide: Tippett 3, Sloane 2, Dangerfield 2, Smith, Schmidt, van Berlo, Knights, Henderson, Gunston, Wright
BEST
Collingwood: Thomas, Ball, Wellingham, Pendlebury, Tarrant, Krakouer
Adelaide: Thompson, Sloane, Johncock, Jacobs, Rutten, Reilly
INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Jarryd Blair replaced by Alan Didak in the third quarter
Adelaide: Chris Schmidt replaced by Richard Tambling in the last quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ritchie, Rosebury, McInerney
Official crowd: 38,489 at Etihad Stadium
Full match report and details to follow
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
