A picture can tell 1000 words, but can 22 pictures tell the story of a season?

The team at AFL Photos captured every game of our 2016 season, from the nailbiting wins to disappointing losses.

2016 produced memorable moments, season-defining story-lines and new faces which may go on to forge long and successful Collingwood careers.

Reflect on the highs and lows from every game of the home and away season with the best photos of the year in the gallery below.

ROUND 1



Sydney 18.25 (133) def. Collingwood 7.11 (53)

The marking contest that ended the career of one of Collingwood's favourite players. The game at the SCG was just minutes old when Zak Jones and Dane Swan collided on the wing. The Collingwood champion suffered a badly broken foot and walked off the ground for what would be the final time.

ROUND 2 



Collingwood 13.9 (87) def. Richmond 12.14 (86)

"Is it Grundy? It's Grundy!" The line of Bruce McAvaney will ring familiar if you watched this classic on TV, while the frantic screams of 72,761 Collingwood and Richmond fans will prove unforgettable if you were fortunate enough to be at the MCG on the first Friday of April. In a match which see-sawed throughout, the Magpies were given one last roll of the dice late in the final quarter. Darcy Moore kicked long inside 50, a pack flew, ruckman Brodie Grundy stayed down and kicked the most opportunistic of goals to give the Pies a one-point lead. Cue pandemonium.

ROUND 3



St Kilda 18.11 (119) def. Collingwood 14.6 (90)

Returning to the MCG a week after a dramatic win over Richmond, Collingwood were outplayed by a determined St Kilda. Recognising the 50th anniversary of the 1966 premiership and playing with limited numbers on the bench, the Saints maintained a healthy lead for the majority of the contest. Scott Pendlebury played a new role as he positioned himself at half-back, however wasn't able to reach his usual lofty standards in the 29-point loss.

ROUND 4



Collingwood 8.13 (67) def. by Melbourne 16.6 (102)

A Magpie for the first three years of his career, Ben Kennedy got the better of his former side as Melbourne upset Collingwood on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. The midfielder had 22 disposals and kicked a goal in a game full of turnovers and missed opportunities. Nathan Buckley's assessment that Magpies "stopped playing for 40 minutes" proved correct, with the home side unable to overcome a Demons lead which crept up to 42 points early in the second term.

ROUND 5



Collingwood 22.10 (142) def. Essendon 11.7 (73)

Already a day with so much significance and meaning, Collingwood's traditional ANZAC Day clash with Essendon produced another remarkable story-line when a 211cm Texan by the name of Mason Cox made his AFL debut. With his family in the stands, Cox kicked a goal with his first possession to bring 85,082 fans to their feet. Josh Smith also impressed on debut, while Steele Sidebottom won the ANZAC Day medal in the Magpies' 69-point victory.

ROUND 6



West Coast 18.16 (124) def. Collingwood 9.8 (62)

A trip to Perth on a six-day break was hardly ideal preparation as Collingwood travelled interstate for the first time in 2016. Impressive was the fact that the Magpies matched West Coast for so long, before the Eagles kicked eight consecutive goals in the final quarter. Ben Sinclair suffered what be the first of multiple concussions for the season, while an ankle injury would ensure that the match was Tom Langdon's last of the year.

ROUND 7



Collingwood 12.12 (84) def. by Carlton 15.9 (99)

A picture of disappointment reserved for a loss against the most bitter of rivals. Scott Pendlebury and his teammates walked off the MCG on the wrong side of a 15-point deficit against Carlton in round seven. The captain had 34 disposals and Alex Fasolo kicked four goals, yet Nathan Buckley post-game stated that the Magpies didn't have enough competitors against a determined Carlton side.

ROUND 8



Brisbane Lions 10.5 (65) def. by Collingwood 20.23 (143)

A win was desperately needed as the Magpies travelled to the Sunshine State for a clash with the Lions. It came in emphatic fashion. Collingwood held the Lions scoreless in the first term and had 43 scoring shots to Brisbane's 15 in a 78-point victory. The match was the first for Ben Crocker, the former Oakleigh Chargers captain and 65th pick in the 2015 National Draft.

ROUND 9



Collingwood 16.8 (104) def. Geelong 11.14 (80)

Just as Levi Greenwood so effectively blanketed Cats star Joel Selwood, Collingwood quelled the danger of the formidable Geelong. It was a case of repetition early in the game, as the Magpies once again held their opposition goalless in the first quarter. As great sides do, Geelong bounced back and created a 44-point lead to just eight early in the final term. Scott Pendlebury kicked a season-high three goals, while Brodie Grundy and Jeremy Howe also impressed in the four-goal victory.

ROUND 10



Collingwood 7.11 (53) def. by Western Bulldogs 11.8 (74)

Three players in tracksuits, one sidelined with concussion and another forced to play with a niggling ankle injury. The Collingwood interchange bench went into crisis mode late in round 10 during a clash with the Western Bulldogs. The Pies matched the Dogs for the majority of the game, yet injuries to Alan Toovey (concussion), Darcy Moore (shoulder), Alex Fasolo (shoulder) and Taylor Adams (hamstring) with last-quarter rotations non-existent. The Pies bravely fought on, but couldn't hang on for the victory.

ROUND 11



Collingwood 7.16 (58) def. by Port Adelaide 19.11 (125)

Wet, miserable and a day to forget. Crippled by injuries, the Magpies were disappointing at home in the Sunday afternoon timeslot. In a game hampered by turnovers, inaccurate kicking in front of goal cost the Magpies. At the other end, key forward Charlie Dixon impressed as the visitors ran away with a 67-point victory. Captain Scott Pendlebury had 30 possessions, kicked a goal and was Collingwood's best player in a team performance Nathan Buckley described as "bitterly disappointing".

ROUND 12



Melbourne 16.8 (104) def. Collingwood 8.10 (58)

Queen's Birthday football at the MCG. The traditional clash between the Pies and Dees continued on the tradition established in 2015 and acted as a focal point of the Neale Daniher-led FreezeMND campaign. An outstanding success off the field, the positivity couldn't extend to the Magpies performance. Brayden Maynard and the defence had their work cut out against Jesse Hogan as the Demons beat Collingwood twice in a season for the first time since 1988.

ROUND 13 - BYE

ROUND 14



Collingwood 12.13 (85) def. Fremantle 5.7 (37)

Nathan Buckley blooded his fifth debutant of the season by playing wingman Tom Phillips in the Friday night clash with the Dockers. Phillips had 19 disposals and kicked a goal in a performance which led Dane Swan (who was live-tweeting the game) to proclaim "I might have to meet that kid on Monday". Swan may have also congratulated Adam Treloar on an impressive performance after the dashing midfielder finished with 33 disposals and seven tackles in the 48-point victory.

ROUND 15



Carlton 6.9 (45) def. by Collingwood 8.9 (57)

22 men wearing Black and White walked onto the hallow turf of the MCG determined not to lose to Carlton for a second time in 2016. The match was ugly, but it fortunately went in Collingwood's favour. 17 disposals showed there was no case of second-year blues for Jordan De Goey, while the highly-anticipated debut of Carlton father-son Jack Silvagni was spoiled by a tough match-up on Magpie veteran Tyson Goldsack.

ROUND 16



GWS Giants 14.9 (93) def. by Collingwood 19.11 (125)

A win so good, some of us didn't even see it coming. The Greater Western Sydney Giants sat third on the ladder and had only lost four games for the season when they took on Collingwood at Spotless Stadium. They were quickly brought back to reality with a thud. Travis Cloke was the star of the show as the key forward put aside an indifferent season to take 12 marks and kick four goals.

ROUND 17



Adelaide 14.13 (97) def. Collingwood 10.9 (69)

After three consecutive victories, the Magpies faced the tall task of a trip to Adelaide Oval to take on the Crows. There were hints at Collingwood's impressive run of recent form, but they came after giving up a five-goal run early in the game. Levi Greenwood kicked a goal in his 100th game, and Ben Reid took eight marks in another strong performance in the back-line. But the Magpies couldn't surpass the Crows, who honoured 300-gamer Scott Thompson with a 28-point victory.

ROUND 18



Collingwood 12.12 (84) def. by North Melbourne 18.16 (124)

Do-or-die at Etihad Stadium. Nathan Buckley anticipated the clash against North Melbourne a 'finals-like' game, and with the Magpies hanging onto their September hopes by a thread, the Friday night clash under the roof proved to deliver. In a fiery contest, North Melbourne had the intensity to get the better of their Black and White opponents. Majak Daw used Jonathon Marsh as a step-ladder to take one of the marks of the year, as Collingwood were left to contemplate a third-straight season out of finals contention.

ROUND 19



Collingwood 13.13 (91) def. West Coast 11.6 (72)

We've known it for a while, but the rest of the AFL community witnessed a star rising when Darcy Moore stamped his name on the MCG against the Eagles. Moore kicked three goals and took six marks in the first half as the Magpies established a strong lead. And then like that he was gone. While the key forward iced a hamstring, his side continued on their merry way to record a 19-point victory over the finals-bound Eagles.

ROUND 20



Richmond 14.8 (92) def. Collingwood 11.11 (77)

This look of frustration wasn't unique to Nathan Brown as the Magpies and Tigers once again met on a Friday night. Richmond were ended a week from hell off the field, while Collingwood were looking to continue the form that led to an impressive victory over West Coast the week prior. Scores were level after 10 minutes in the final term and the pendulum swung again. Scott Pendlebury left the game with an ankle injury and Richmond kicked the next three goals to win by 15 points.

ROUND 21



Western Bulldogs 14.11 (95) def. Collingwood 14.8 (92)

It probably only took two Jeremy Howe screamers to make admission worthwhile on a Friday night at Etihad Stadium. An enthralling contest between the Pies and Dogs would have also helped. At 11 different stages during the game the scores were level, as the Bulldogs came out on top to take confidence into the finals. List manager Derek Hine would have sat comfortably in his seat watching this one. 2015 recruits Adam Treloar (34 disposals), James Aish (28) and Jeremy Howe (23 disposals, 11 marks) were three of Collingwood's best players.

ROUND 22



Collingwood 16.22 (118) def. Gold Coast Suns 6.11 (47)

It wasn't just Brodie Grundy's new hairstyle which attracted attention against the Gold Coast Suns. The clash against the Suns under the Etihad Stadium roof put an exclamation point on what had been a terrific 2016 campaign. The ruckman continued his breakout season with 36 hit-outs, five marks, nine tackles and a career-high 26 disposals in Collingwood's 71-point victory. The haircut was pretty awesome too.

ROUND 23



Hawthorn 17.10 (112) def. Collingwood 17.9 (111)

The season came to an end in the most dramatic of fashions with a thrilling Sunday afternoon clash against the reigning premiers. Two goals separated the two sides at three-quarter time with the quality of the game leaving fans anticipating an entertaining final term. They got what they were after. Adam Treloar capped off an impressive game with a late goal to give Collingwood a six point lead, before Jack Fitzpatrick proved the unlikely Hawthorn hero. "The only thing we didn't do today was sing the song," Nathan Buckley said in his last post-match press conference of the year.