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COLLINGWOOD has kept its top four aspirations alive with a 32-point win over a depleted Adelaide side at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The Pies overcame a slow start to win 15.16 (106) to 11.8 (74). Their second consecutive victory over a top-eight side keeps them in touch with the league's front runners.

Midfielder Rhyce Shaw played a terrific game against Scott Thompson to pick up 32 possessions, and Paul Medhurst was lively in attack, kicking 5.5, while Harry O'Brien did well in defence.

For Adelaide, Chris Knights was involved with 37 touches, along with Thompson (36 touches) and Tyson Edwards (27 and four clearances).

But the loss was compounded for the Crows – whose own top-four hopes took another knock – after goal-kicking pair Brett Burton and Jason Porplyzia suffered potentially serious injuries.

Burton was stretchered off in the third term after wrenching his left knee, while Porplyzia dislocated a shoulder in the first quarter and did not return.

The crowd of 52,592 was an all-time record for a game involving Adelaide, while the result marked the first time under coach Neil Craig the side has lost four games in a row.

With two fit men on the bench, Adelaide found proceedings tough in the late stages, with Collingwood outscoring them seven goals to three after Burton went off.

The sides were equal on points before the match, with the Magpies coming off a spirited defeat of the Sydney Swans while the Crows were looking to halt a three-match losing streak.

Collingwood ball-winner Dane Swan started on the bench and came on to face tagger Robert Shirley, and Cameron Wood started in attack against Ben Rutten while Travis Cloke pushed up and won Nathan Bock's attention.

The Magpies looks flat early while the Crows were out to play. It was one-way traffic in the first term as the visitors booted the opening three goals, with the Pies getting their first via Chris Bryan 14 minutes in.

The difference at quarter time was nine points in Adelaide's favour, with the Crows ending their quarter with an Ivan Maric goal that couldn't be nullified when a set shot after the siren by Cloke fell short.

Collingwood was challenged in the second quarter after Adelaide snared the first three goals and a 28-point lead. Nick Maxwell and Medhurst were having ordinary quarters, with the former giving away two frees in the forward 50 and the latter a costly turnover that resulted in a goal.

But the Pies turned what was beginning to shape as an avalanche their way and responded with three unanswered goals as they returned to their hard-tackling game.

The Crows kicked one more for the term but majors to Dale Thomas and Jack Anthony brought roars from the crowd and the margin down to just three points at half time.

Another goal to Anthony eight minutes into the third term saw Collingwood hit the front for the first time, shortly before play was halted as Burton was carried from the field.

The Crows managed only two behinds to the Pies' 3.3 in the long quarter, which gave Collingwood a handy 16-point lead at the last change.

Undermanned and doubtless concerned over the well-being of their gun forward, the Crows were rattled in the last quarter. The Pies showed little mercy, piling on five goals to three to put an exclamation mark on the result.

Collingwood has less than a week to recover before taking on North Melbourne at Telstra Dome on Friday night, while Adelaide will return home for Showdown XXV with Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Collingwood 2.5 7.8 10.11 15.16 (106)
Adelaide 4.2 8.5 8.7 11.8 (74)

GOALS
Collingwood: Medhurst 4, Anthony 2, Cloke 2, Bryan, R. Shaw, Johnson, Thomas, Didak, Clarke, Wood
Adelaide: Burton 4, Douglas 2, Van Berlo, Tippett, Maric, Stevens, Knights

BEST
Collingwood: R. Shaw, Medhurst, Clarke, Anthony, O'Brien, Cloke
Adelaide: Knights, Edwards, Thompson, Van Berlo, Bock, Burton

INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Adelaide: Porplyzia (shoulder), Burton (knee)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Meredith, Ryan, McInerney

Official crowd: 52,592 at the MCG