It certainly wasn't pretty and it won't be remembered as a classic but Collingwood did what was required to complete a resounding 54–point win against Carlton at the MCG on Friday night.

A week of intense speculation over the future of coach Mick Malthouse was quickly forgotten as the Magpies notched their 11th win of the season and took another key step towards securing a top-four spot.

Hammered in contested possession by the Hawks a week earlier, the Magpies responded with an aggressive, high-pressure performance which left the Blues, who could have surged into the top four had they won, suddenly facing a nervous end to the home-and-away season..

The Magpies had winners everywhere, with Leon Davis notching three goals and even providing two nominations for magic trick - make that goal - of the year.

The first was a mercurial 'Daicos-like' effort from the right forward pocket in the opening term when, off two steps and running out of bounds, he was able to dribble the ball through from 20m.

Davis' second, 30 seconds into the second term, was just as flashy when, again in the forward pocket, he shrugged off a Ryan Houlihan tackle, arched his back and turned inside from the boundary to snap truly.

While the Magpies had moments of brilliance, the Blues were awful.

Their skills by foot and hand were sloppy and coach Brett Ratten faced scrutiny for opting not to man up Magpie Nick Maxwell who played as a rebounding loose man in defence.

This restricted the space Brendan Fevola had to work in, and the Blues' spearhead had to wait until midway through the final term to log his first goal.

Magpies' ball-magnet Dane Swan had another bumper night, collecting 38 touches, while attacking half-back Heath Shaw, who had 12 rebounds from defensive 50, and forward Travis Cloke also played key roles in the win.

A grinding third-term where the teams shared just the two goals gave the Blues some hope of hauling in the 25-point deficit but that was quashed when Alan Didak, in his 150th match, took four bounces along the wing and drilled the opening goal of the final term.

The Magpies would slam through six for the term to rubber-stamp an emphatic win.

The Blues' pre-match banner made a pointed gibe at the coaching speculation surrounding Malthouse and favorite son Nathan Buckley by declaring: "They have got Buckley's chance of beating us"

But it quickly became apparent it would be Carlton who would suffer the blues as a five-goal-to-one opening term rocked Ratten's men.

The Blues made the bizarre decision not to tag Swan and the hard-running midfielder responded with 12 first-quarter touches. Scott Pendlebury was also brilliant with 12 touches and four inside 50s as the Pies took charge.

The recalled Jackson Barham and Dale Thomas kicked the opening two goals before Eddie Betts attempted to settle the Blues after swooping on the ball near goal.

That was the only joy for the Blues in the first term and they would have to wait until mid-way through the second, when Betts converted a set shot from 40m, to notch their second major.

By this stage the Magpies had seven on the board and were dominating the centre clearances and, importantly, handball receives, reflecting the run and carry they were generating.

Swan had five different opponents in the second term in a bid to quell him but he continued to exert a major influence.

The Blues lifted their work-rate late in the term but it wasn't enough to prevent their lowest half-time score against the Magpies since 2003.


COLLINGWOOD 5.4, 7.6, 8.8, 14.10 (94)
CARLTON1.5, 2.9, 3.13, 4.16 (40)
GOALS: Collingwood. Davis 3, Beams 2, Swan, Cloke, Lockyer, Didak, Anthony, Barham, Thomas, Dawes, Toovey.
Carlton: Betts 2, Bentley, Fevola.
BEST: Collingwood: Swan, Davis, Shaw, Lockyer, Cloke, Prestigiacomo, .
Carlton: Kreuzer, Murphy, Simpson, Gibbs, Scotland.
INJURIES: Collingwood: (TBC).
Carlton: (TBC).
REPORTS: Nil.
CHANGES: Carlton: Jamison (groin ) replaced by Hartlett.
UMPIRES:McLaren, Wenn, Ryan.
CROWD:84,938 at the MCG.