AFL Media picked the following five headlines as the key talking points from Collingwood's 54-point win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

1. Pies' premonition rings true
Collingwood's banner on Saturday night read: "Hear it first, breaking news, tonight's result, Pies smash the Roos." Lucky for the Magpies' cheersquad, their pre-match crystal ball prediction came true. It was ugly football at times. The opening quarter was comical with 37 clangers registered, reminding fans they were watching a game between two sides sitting 13th and 16th on the ladder. But to the Pies' credit, led by midfielder Adam Treloar, they were able to turn their disposal woes around. A run of five goals in the second and third quarter put the game out of reach for the Roos, as the Pies recorded an impressive 54-point win. Collingwood hasn't suffered a loss in its last four games, with the draw last week against Adelaide the only blemish in what has otherwise been a great month for the club. Is it enough to save coach Nathan Buckley? Only time will tell, with Port Adelaide, Geelong and Melbourne the Pies' final three opponents for the season.


2. Coleman Medal contender hospitalised
Play came to a halt at the 23-minute mark of the second quarter when North Melbourne forward Ben Brown was concussed in a crunching Brodie Grundy tackle that is certain to come under scrutiny from the Match Review Panel. The Roos' leading goalkicker had his arms pinned in the tackle, with his head smacking into the Etihad Stadium turf. After lying motionless for about a minute, Brown tried to get up, rolling onto his back but was unable to steady himself. North Melbourne trainers and medical staff hurried to his side, stabilising his neck immediately. Brown was eventually stretchered off, giving Roos fans a thumbs up as he was carted off into the rooms and taken to hospital. Play resumed with Grundy awarded a free kick for holding the ball, North Melbourne fans booing the Magpie as he took his kick. The incident immediately prompted comparisons to Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield's tackle on Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer last week, which saw the Brownlow medallist banned for one match.

MORE: "I was pretty shaken up" - Brodie Grundy responds to the second-quarter incident.

3. Carnage continues
It was a dramatic second quarter at Etihad Stadium. Five minutes after Brown was stretchered from the field, North Melbourne skipper Jack Ziebell left the field in the hands of trainers after colliding with Collingwood's Matt Scharenberg. Then minutes later, Pies midfielder Levi Greenwood went down clutching his left knee, after Roos ruckman Todd Goldstein fell across his leg. Unable to apply any weight to his left leg, Greenwood was carried down into the rooms by two trainers and did not return. Ziebell however did return to the field after half-time, nursing bruised ribs, the courageous skipper played predominantly in attack, kicking five goals in the second half in a standout performance for the Roos.

4. Is Cunnington in trouble?
The MRP will have another incident to assess from Saturday night's game after North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington collided with Magpie Tyson Goldsack. The Collingwood defender was slow to get up after Cunnington's shoulder made contact with his head. Both players had eyes for the ball, but it will be up to the MRP to decide on Monday whether or not the contact was incidental. Fortunately, Goldsack was able to return to the field and played out the rest of the game after being cleared of a concussion.

5. All's not well that ends Wells
After his best performance for Collingwood against Adelaide last weekend, Daniel Wells took to the field to face off against his former side for the very first time. The Magpies recruit has been in great form for the Pies, but after starting on the bench in the first quarter, it was clear something wasn't quite right. His first and only kick in the opening term was a turnover, but he just didn't look comfortable. The trainers worked on his left quad during the second quarter. He had just two disposals for the first half. He emerged from the rooms with heavy strapping on his right quad and while he played out the game, he struggled to make an impact. He finished the match with five disposals and a goal, his lowest possession tally since round seven, 2007 against Essendon.