• Week one finals ticketing information

COLLINGWOOD will play St Kilda in the first week of the finals after the Western Bulldogs pinched third position with a 24-point win at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The Dogs'  14.16 (100) to 10. 16 (76) victory lifted their percentage to 122.58, just 0.31 ahead of Collingwood's.

As a result, the Magpies finish the home and away season in fourth and will face minor premier St Kilda on Sunday next week.

> Nick Maxwell speaks to CTV in the rooms after the Round 22 match

The Bulldogs will line up against second-placed Geelong.

The physical encounter had everything you'd want from a final with both sides applying plenty of pressure on each other as they went goal for goal for the most part.

Heath Shaw was influential from down back for the Pies with 34 possessions while at the other end Tarkyn Lockyer booted two goals and gave off four more to go with his 25 disposals.

The drama started before a ball had been bounced with both sides forced into late changes involving key personnel. Scott Pendlebury and Leigh Brown came out for the Pies to be replaced by Tyson Goldsack and John McCarthy while Andrejs Everitt came in for Ben Hudson.    

Will Minson stepped into the lead ruck role with aplomb to take the honours with 28 hitouts to Josh Fraser and Cameron Wood's combined total of 23.

The opening siren may as well have been a starter's pistol because both teams launched out of the blocks like it was a 100m dash. The early minutes saw the ball moved from one end to the other at breakneck speed, but while it was impressive in terms of pace it created skill errors on both sides. 

> Mick Malthouse fronts the media after the loss

Everitt, playing in a back-up role to Minson, did well to spin out of a tackle and answer Dale Thomas' opener and the trend continued throughout the term with neither side able to establish a meaningful break.

McCarthy and Johnson traded goals after Josh Hill had converted from close range, but Lockyer's late major saw scores level at the first break.

The tempo continued at a decent clip early in the second, but slowly gave way to a more considered approach as both coaches got numbers back in support.

Sharrod Wellingham snapped truly five minutes in, but the Bulldogs surged and created several scoring opportunities with their superior pressure inside attacking 50, with Jason Akermanis and Johnson finishing the good work of their teammates.

Travis Cloke and Paul Medhurst spurned golden opportunities at the other end and despite Lockyer's second, the Dogs went into half time two goals up thanks once again to Akermanis and Johnson who converted a superb 60m pass from Lindsay Gilbee.

The rest allowed the players to attack the opening of second half in much the same way they did the first. The difference this time was that the Pies were dictating terms.

First Fraser then Anthony banged through majors as their onballers gained the ascendancy around the stoppages. Three Bulldog behinds in succession were little help, and when Leon Davis and Dane Swan each split the middle inside a minute, Collingwood was on the march.

But when good teams are challenged they find a way to reply and the Dogs did just that.

Rob Murphy went back with courage to mark and goal, and when Nathan Eagleton and Josh Hill followed suit the Dogs had steadied the ship.

They took a 12-point lead into the final term and looked safe when Scott Welsh booted his only goal of the day. Thomas gave his side a look in with his second, but Higgins and Johnson combined to put the regular season to bed in thrilling fashion.

Collingwood  3.3  5.7  9.12  10.16 (76)
Western Bulldogs  3.3  7.7  11.12  14.16 (100) 

GOALS
Collingwood: Lockyer 2, Thomas 2, McCarthy, Wellingham, Fraser, Anthony, Davis, Swan
Western Bulldogs: Johnson 4, Akermanis 2, Hill 2, Everitt, Murphy, Eagleton, Ward, Welsh, Higgins

BEST
Collingwood: Lockyer, Shaw, Davis, Maxwell,
Western Bulldogs: Lake, Hargrave, Harbrow, Minson, Boyd, Johnson, Akermanis, Cooney

INJURIES
Collingwood: Pendlebury (back spasm), L. Brown (virus) out, replaced in selected side by Goldsack, McCarthy
Western Bulldogs: Hudson (back-related hamstring tightness) out, replaced in selected side by Everitt

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Chamberlain, McInerney

Official crowd: 48,888 at Etihad Stadium

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.