Sydney is one step closer to a return to finals, proving to be far too good for the young Collingwood squad in a 51-point win at Windy Hill.

Led by former Pie Chloe Molloy and Cynthia Hamilton in the front half, the Swans were a class above, essentially locking away the 12.8 (80) to 4.5 (29) win by quarter-time. 

Bri Davey left the field heavily favouring her right ankle in the opening ten minutes, and with play stopped, a number of Swans and Pies made their way over to the injury-prone veteran as she hobbled off.

Collingwood had owned the footy up until that point, but struggled to find a meaningful mark inside 50, and perhaps with the wind taken out of their sails following the Davey injury, let Chloe Molloy and Zippy Fish waltz through the field for Sydney’s first.

Molloy and Cynthia Hamilton were deadly in front of goal in the opening term, combining for five goals, with the Pies missing key defensive organiser Jordy Allen (calf) who watched on from the coaches box.

Davey returned after the first break, playing as a deeper forward, but the Swans camped the ball in their forward half and she was unable to have an impact on the scoreboard.

Sydney didn't have it all its own way for the full four quarters, and Collingwood’s pressure was good in patches, but it certainly wasn't intense enough for long enough, and the firepower in red and white was a step faster when the ball was out in space.

Brit Bonnici provided a rare highlight for the Pies in the third term, half-shrugging her way through a Laura Gardiner tackle and managing to pull off a genuine drop kick running into goal, but in real terms all it did was cut the margin to 25 points.

Midfielders Montana Ham, Lucy McEvoy and Laura Gardiner wore down their Collingwood counterparts as the match progressed, and their eventual clearance dominance translated to owning territory in attack.

Zippy Fish provided plenty of drive off half-back – her incredible 100 per cent game time for the season remaining intact – while Tanya Kennedy bustled and crashed her way through to great effect, including kicking a very neat third-term goal.

The Swans' finals chances on track
Depending on results later on Sunday, Sydney is now at least one game clear in the top eight, if not two. West Coast at Henson Park next week should theoretically be another straightforward four points in the bag, which would guarantee a finals spot, while Fremantle at Cockburn ARC Oval looms as a game that could have enormous ramifications for finals hosting rights.

Life without Ally Morphett, v2
With star ruck Morphett sidelined for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL, the Swans need to rejig their ruck set-up. Last week, they opted for a combination of key forward Taylor Smith and youngster Maddie Quinn, but coming up against the two-ruck Pies – and facing the prospect of a neutered forward line without Smith – the Swans recalled ruck Caitlin Reid. While Reid didn't dominate the hitout count by any stretch, the extra ruck – who donned a half-batman facial guard – helped boost Smith's minutes in attack, where she booted three goals.

COLLINGWOOD     2.1     2.3     3.4     4.5     (29)
SYDNEY                5.1     6.4     9.5     12.8     (80)

GOALS
Collingwood: James, Howarth, Bonnici, Barnett
Sydney: Molloy 3, C.Hamilton 3, Smith 3, Cooper 2, Kennedy

INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Sydney: Nil

Crowd: 2,305 at Windy Hill