Sydney Swans have pushed past Collingwood in the final quarter to win by 11 points, and regain fourth place on the ladder, effectively ending any hope the Pies had of making the finals.
Despite being outplayed and outscored in the middle two quarters of the game, Sydney managed to kick five goals to two in the final quarter to finish 13.9 (87) to 10.16 (76) win, in front of a home crowd of almost 39,000 spectators.
Coming into the final quarter, the Swans looked to be in trouble, going a man down – Luke Parker was stretchered off after twisting his leg underneath Taylor Adams.
From there though, Sydney scored three goals in a row, turning a six point loss into a twelve point lead.
For the Pies it was yet another in a long run of narrow losses, with defeats to Hawthorn, Richmond, Fremantle and Port Adelaide also going to the wire earlier in the season.
Collingwood had started badly, but recovered from a 20 point deficit in the first quarter to be ahead by 5 points going into the final quarter. But in the end, Sydneys greater kicking accuracy won the contest.
Tom Mitchells’ career-best 41 possessions helped the Swans earn the win which puts them fourth above the Western Bulldogs, at least for the time being.
