Collingwood have pulled off another famous victory with an astonishing 59-58 win over Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval.
In typical Collingwood fashion, they were forced to come from behind late to win, and while they only led for 20 seconds for the entire match, they were up when the final siren rang out.
After trailing by 16 points at three-quarter time, the Pies looked almost dead and buried once Chayce Jones kicked the fourth-term opener to bridge that margin to 22.
From that moment on though, there was only one point at the other end of the ground - a rushed behind - as Ash Johnson, Josh Daicos and John Noble kicked the final three goals to go with six behinds to get the Magpies over the line.
Noble comes up big to bring the Pies within a point!#AFLCrowsPies pic.twitter.com/ZrOhDRpHIN
— AFL (@AFL) April 30, 2023
Two of those behinds, in particular, were crucial, with Johnson rushing one in the 27th minute to tie the scores at 58 apiece.
While the ball pinged from end to end in the final 90 seconds, Collingwood were able to edge in front through a Steele Sidebottom set shot that just missed, with the Crows unable to get to the other end of the ground with 20 seconds left as they kicked in from full-back.
Remarkably, it’s the 10th time in the last 13 games where Collingwood has trailed at three-quarter time that they’ve won. They simply refuse to lose.
For Adelaide, they’ll be shattered to drop this game having had chances in both the first and third terms - when they dominated possession and inside 50s - to really put Collingwood away.
They’ll look at inaccuracy in front of goal, where they kicked 7.16 to Collingwood’s 8.11, as a key reason to why they lost.
Collingwood’s best included Josh Daicos who kicked a crucial goal and had 31 disposals, while Tom Mitchell (29 disposals) and Jordan De Goey (24 disposals, 10 clearances) helped the Magpies dominate at the source.
Huge credit will also head Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy’s way, with the key defensive duo immense as the Magpies often found themselves under fire.
For Adelaide, Jordan Dawson (30 disposals) and Rory Laird - who came into the clash under an injury cloud - had 29 of his own.
Matthew Nicks will also be pleased with the performance of Ben Keays who tagged Nick Daicos, and while the young Magpie was still solid with 26 disposals, he wasn’t his prolific self.
Collingwood now sit atop the ladder at 6-1, while the Crows are still sitting inside the top eight with a 4-3 record.
The Magpies next face the Swans at the SCG as they return to Melbourne for an extended stretch, while the Crows face a tough task when they head to GMHBA Stadium to play the Cats on Saturday.
FULL SCORE
Adelaide: 3.6, 3.10, 6.15, 7.16 (58)
Collingwood: 0.2, 3.4, 5.5, 8.11 (59)
GOALS
Adelaide: Jones 2, Pedlar 2, Rankine, Sloane, Walker
Collingwood: Mihocek 3, J Daicos, Frampton, Hoskin-Elliott, Johnson, Noble
BEST
Adelaide: Jordan Dawson, Chayce Jones, Rory Laird, Tom Doedee
Collingwood: Darcy Moore, Josh Daicos, John Noble, Steele Sidebottom, Nathan Murphy
INJURIES
Adelaide: -
Collingwood: Kreuger (knee)