Collingwood shrugged off a third-quarter surge from St Kilda to record an outstanding come-from-behind victory in trying conditions at the MCG on Saturday.
Ignited by a scintillating performance from Dale Thomas, the Pies ran over the top of the Saints in the closing stages of the match played in driving rain to get up by nine points - 12.17 (89) to 12.8 (80).
Thomas was the Magpies' barometer on the day, influential early when Collingwood held sway and outstanding in a tight finish with two final-term goals including the sealer.
No less important for the Pies was Josh Fraser who picked up 20 possessions and 21 hitouts playing one-out in the ruck all afternoon.
For the Saints, Fraser Gehrig was the most effective key forward on the ground with four goals while Nick dal Santo maintained his excellent recent form with 28 disposals.
Collingwood was the better side in the first-half with Thomas, elusive and strong overhead, the catalyst up forward and Tarkyn Lockyer outstanding in a tagging role on Leigh Montagna.
Lockyer sacrificed his own ball-winning game to hold Montagna, coming off a career-high 35 disposals against Richmond last week, to just five touches in the first half.
And so effective was Harry O'Brien at half-back on Nick Riewoldt that Ross Lyon was forced to release his co-captain onto the ball in a bid to get him into the game.
The Saints looked as though they'd broken the game open in the third term when they managed to hold the Magpies to two behinds.
Gehrig's two of the Saints' five goals for the term, however, were achieved with a huge slice of luck. His excellent snap for the first was prefaced by hands planted firmly in Shane Wakelin's back, and the 'G-Train' was awarded a very soft free from a genuine 50/50 wrestle with Wakelin for his second.
On the three-quarter time siren, the MCG echoed to the sound of booing from the Collingwood supporters furious over a free kick count that read 23-12 St Kilda's way.
When Gehrig snapped his fourth in the opening minute of the final term, the Saints had opened up the biggest lead of the match - 21 points.
But the Magpies surged with three goals in four minutes to Shane O'Bree, Thomas and Dane Swan to edge to within one point. When Thomas followed-up with a super effort from the boundary line, eluding two Saints to dribble it through from 30, the Magpies looked home, but his 'Goal of the Year' contender was disallowed when he was ruled to have taken the ball out.
The 20-year-old, however, made up for it moments later with the sealer, albeit from a very soft free for imperceptible interference from Matt Maguire, from 40 out directly in front.
COLLINGWOOD: 4.5, 8.9, 8.11, 12.17 (89)
ST KILDA: 3.3, 6.7, 11.8, 12.8 (80)
GOALS: Collingwood: Cloke 2, Fraser 2, Thomas 2, Davis, Johnson, Licuria, Didak, O'Bree, Swan
St Kilda: Gehrig 4, Milne 2, Koschitzke, R.Clarke, X.Clarke, Hayes, Fiora, Gilbert
BEST: Collingwood: Thomas, Fraser, Swan, Shaw, O'Brien, Lockyer
St Kilda: Dal Santo, Gehrig, Harvey, X.Clarke, S.Fisher, Gilbert
INJURIES: Collingwood: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Donlon, McLaren, Chamberlain
CROWD: 57,247 at the MCG