An inspiring West Coast outfit has booked itself a home preliminary final, ousting a gallant Collingwood by 16 points in front of a jam-packed Optus Stadium.
In a game complete with 12 lead changes, the enthralling contest delivered right up until the last minute, in which the Eagles slotted five goals to one in the final quarter to take home victory.
While the Eagles looked content on their home deck in the opening quarter, controlling the ball and style of play to great effect, a chaotic six-goal second quarter from the Magpies saw the visitors hold onto the lead right up until the last term.
Both sides' conflicting styles of play provided a scintillating battle all evening, with the Eagles' gradual build-up of momentum and prowess in contested ball eventually seeing them over the line.
Elliot Yeo was best afield for the Eagles, accumulating 36 disposals (24 contested), while Jack Redden ( 32 disposals), Jeremy McGovern (18 disposals, nine marks) and Josh Kennedy (two goals) played important roles in their respective domains.
For the Magpies, Steele Sidebottom was absolutely superb with 27 touches, while Tyson Goldsack enjoyed a sound return in his first game of the year, after coming back from a partial ACL tear sustained in the pre-season.
West Coast's impressive opening quarter served as a testament to their proficient game style, with their three majors helping establish a handy buffer on their home deck.
The Eagles' possessive play and aerial dominance, fronted by Jeremy McGovern (seven marks, four intercepts), played a major role in stifling Collingwood's typical fast-moving play.
Leading the marks for the quarter 33-16, West Coast were able to clinically move the ball forward, with Nathan Vardy drawing first blood after an intense 10 minutes of play.
Much of the Eagles' scoring opportunities were thwarted by the returning Goldsack, whose superb defensive efforts served as reason enough for his selection.
But the defensive web of the Eagles was far superior, and with McGovern reading the play like a book, majors for Collingwood - given West Coast dictating the style of play - proved to be elusive.
Despite Elliot Yeo's dominance in the midfield and Jack Darling creating a massive presence up forward, Liam Ryan was undoubtedly the danger man, with his two goals catapulting the home side in front.
An otherwise solid quarter for the Eagles was dampened following a hamstring injury to Brad Sheppard, opening the door for a magical major from Travis Varcoe at the 23-minute mark of te term.
Despite Varcoe's efforts initiating a spirited finish to the term, no major score resulted, seeing the Eagles hold onto 13-point lead at quarter-time.
But the Magpies turned the tables in the second term, with their explosive six-goal quarter and manic pressure wrestling the momentum in their favour.
Despite West Coast booting three majors of their own - resulting in seven lead changes -Collingwood's frenetic style of play, which stood in stark contrast to the precision of the opening term, put the visitors in control.
Right from the get-go, the Pies continued to build up their speed and fast movement inside 50, with Brody Mihocek kickstarting a streak of three Magpie majors.
The Magpies' chaotic movement - although quite ugly at times - threw the clinical eagles off-guard, with their defence unable to quell the quickfire majors to Taylor Adams and Chris Mayne.
Unlike the first term in which the Eagles held possession and were skilled with their marks, Adam Simpson's men only clunked 11 marks throughout the second, with McGovern unable to increase his impressive first quarter tally.
With the heat turned right up and Steele Sidebottom, Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury and Adams applying all sorts of pressure in the centre clearances (5-9), a much-needed Jamie Cripps major at the midpoint of the term would steady the ship for the Eagles.
As Jordan De Goey and Dom Sheed exchanged majors, another incredible mark and goal to Mihocek made it five lead changes in 12 minutes, before Willie Rioli and Jaidyn Stephenson made it six, and then seven lead changes for the term.
With the game now on the Magpies' terms and a five-point advantage to boot, the stage was well and truly set for a dynamic second half.
The tight tussle certainly lived up to expectation in the third, with the pressure from both sides refusing to budge so much as an inch, resulting in a low-scoring, yet intense quarter.
While the Eagles certainly found their marking mojo from the onset, Collingwood's pulsating play continued to trouble the home side, with their tackling pressure a defining feature of the quarter.
With the intensity at insane levels, the scoreboard locked and West Coast steadily creeping back into the contest, the Magpies' still managed to keep the ball within their forward half, with the breakaway moment coming in the form of Adams.
The midfielder's second goal at the 17-minute mark of the term took the margin to a handy nine points, yet Josh Kennedy's maiden major kept the margin within a single kick.
Varcoe's perseverance all game again paid dividends, with his inspiring rundown tackle on Luke Shuey paving the way a Josh Thomas goal, taking the margin to 10 points at the final change.
But with their backs against the wall, West Coast seized the game by the throat in the final term, driving home five goals to one to book a spot in a preliminary final.
The Eagles threatened to undo all the Magpies' hard work within the opening minutes of the quarter, with Kennedy and Darling each converting four minutes apart, seeing West Coast hit the lead for the first time since the second term.
On the charge and surging forward at every opportunity - much of which was driven by Yeo - Collingwood's grip on the game began to falter, as the quality of the Eagles continued to shine through.
Yeo's midfield prowess and 24 contested possessions were nothing short of instrumental to the Eagles' success, with their dominance of the contested ball sweeping the Magpies away.
But after 10 minutes of drama and close calls, De Goey once again appeared at the right time, putting through an incredibly vital major to restore the Pies' ascendancy with eight minutes left on the clock.
Another tight period of football ensued, with Lewis Jetta breaking the deadlock with a crafty snap around the body, before Darling followed up just moments later to take the margin out to 10 points.
With less than four minutes remaining, the nerves started to dawn upon the Magpies, with a series of costly blunders preventing any opportunity for them to advance the ball into their forward line.
One final major after the siren from Jack Redden took the final margin to 16 points, with the Eagles solidifying a home preliminary final in a fortnight's time.
Collingwood meanwhile will fight to keep its finals dream alive, when they take on Greater Western Sydney at the MCG in what is set to be a spectacular semi-final.
WEST COAST 3.4 6.7 7.11 12.14 (86) COLLINGWOOD 1.3 7.4 9.9 10.10 (70)
GOALS West Coast: Kennedy 2, Darling 2, Ryan 2, Redden, Rioli, Sheed, Cripps, Jetta, Vardy Collingwood: De Goey 2, Adams 2, Mihocke 2, Mayne, Varcoe, Thomas, Stephenson
BEST West Coast: Yeo, Redden, McGovern, Darling, Sheed, Kennedy
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Adams, Goldsack, Grundy, Pendlebury, Varcoe
INJURIES
West Coast: Shepard (hamstring) Collingwood: Nil
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