Collingwoodfc.com.au tells you everything you need to know from Collingwood’s 42-point win over Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday.

The Result
Collingwood 19.15 (129)
Melbourne 13.9 (87)

Goals - Sinclair 3, Wellingham 2, Goldsack 2, Cloke 2, Fasolo 2, Blair 2, Swan 2, Jolly 2, Sidebottom, Beams
Disposals - Swan, Beams, Sidebottom, Blair, Wellingham, Sinclair, Goldsack, Fasolo

It was a game of two halves, but not in the fashion you would expect. Collingwood opened the game with six goals and closed it with nine, but managed to kick only four in between. It was still enough for the Magpies to record a 42-point win - their eighth in a row - which sees them perched on the top of the AFL ladder after eleven rounds.

Click here to watch the CTV highlights.

Melbourne was put to the sword in a brutal opening quarter that showcased what Collingwood is capable of. But a quarter time rev from the coaching staff saw a different Demons unit return to the fray, one that kicked just as many goals as the Magpies (13) for the remaining three quarters.

Bucks’ take
“I think 'Swanny's' rehabilitation and professionalism in the last three weeks has been excellent. He really has worked hard in the gym - dotted the Is and crossed the Ts - which might not potentially be an area where he's been renowned for in the past. But I think he's clearly reaped the rewards of his work when he hasn't been playing to get that hammy right and his body in great shape to hit the ground running and he was able to do it today.” - Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

Hear more from Bucks in his post match press conference.

Over the fence
“We were overrun. The speed of ball movement we didn't deal with very well at all. We were behind in clearances, contested possessions [and] tackling ... you can't win quarters if you can't get those near on competitive.” - Melbourne coach Mark Neeld.

Read the match report here.

Attack of the clones
Dane and Dayne. Colourful arms. Premiership midfielders. You’d think the comparisons stop there. Not so. Dane Swan and Dayne Beams were going touch-for-touch in the first half as the raced towards the 30 disposal barrier and beyond. Eventually, Swan overpowered his younger teammate and ended the day with a monster 42 possessions and two goals. It was the seventh time the Brownlow Medallist has passed the 40 possession mark in 184 games. To put it in perspective, he is now on par with Nathan Buckley, who played 280 games. Beams, meanwhile, broke his own personal best achieved only a fortnight prior against the Adelaide Crows. And that was all achieved without Luke Ball and Scott Pendlebury alongside them. Astounding.

“Win the contested footy”
We’ve all heard that more often than we’ve had hot dinners this year, but you can see why. Teams that dominate in the contested situations will almost always prevail on the scoreboard. With that in mind, it’s important to take note of Nathan Buckley’s praise for Jarryd Blair who led the club in contested possession (with 17) despite the presence of Swan, Beams and Steele Sidebottom.

View the best photos from Collingwood's 42-point win.

“He's very good at what he does, and what he does is win contested footy. It just so happens that when the whips are cracking at the end of the year, that's what you need to be able to do. He's a very important player in that regard. The tighter the game got, the better he gets” - Buckley on Jarryd Blair after the match.

A new experience young
Monday’s match was 20-year-old Tom Young’s first against a Victorian-based team and his first in front of a crowd larger than 47,000. That mightn’t sound like much, especially considering he’s played only five games, but it is something of a rarity for a Collingwood footballer. Starting as the substitute, Young was activated within minutes after Alan Didak left the field with an adductor muscle injury and didn’t look out of place with 10 disposals, four marks and two tackles across half back. Just as importantly, he showed great courage in putting his body on the line of oncoming players and won plaudits from several media commentators.

The medical room
The game began shakily for the Pies when Alan Didak injured his adductor muscle while shooting for goal in the opening two minutes. According to Director of Football Geoff Walsh, Didak will not require surgery on the tear. It is hoped that Didak can play a significant role in the 2012 season for the black and white.

Sharing is caring goals
Collingwood has kicked a combined total of 42 goals in the past two weeks, but key forwards Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes have only contributed five of them. The evenness of the Magpies has meant that goal-scoring options are coming from everywhere. For example, back in January, who would have expected Ben Sinclair to lead the way with six goals in the past two matches? The 20-year-old was this week’s NAB AFL Rising star nominee. A just reward for a fine start to his third season on the list.

Watch the CTV highlights, including the Magpie Globetrotters, here.

Consider this
Harry O’Brien has now played in 100 wins at the highest level. He joins eight other Magpies to boast a triple-figure record in the wins column, with Scott Pendlebury (94), Dale Thomas (94) and Heath Shaw (90) not far from joining them

What does it mean?
-    We have now won eight games straight. In recent years, the club has recorded winning streaks spanning 14, nine and seven matches.
-    Collingwood sits atop the AFL ladder for the first time since round 24 last year. The Pies had held top spot since defeating North Melbourne in round 16.
-    Dayne Beams has now had more than 30 disposals in six of his past seven matches.

VFL
Collingwood took on the second-placed Casey Scorpions at a wet and rainy Casey Fields on Saturday. The Magpies trailed by more than five goals at the main break but found their touch in the second half, kicking seven goals to four to lose by 17 points. Tom Sundberg was excellent in his first match for the year through the midfield and Jackson Paine and Matt Boland held the fort as the key figures in attack.

Looking ahead…
Collingwood enjoys a week off after 11 intense weeks in the tumble dryer of AFL football and will then look to extend its winning streak against the West Coast Eagles to seven when it meets last year’s Preliminary Finalists in round 13 at the MCG.