In a thrilling game of football that was decided in the final minutes, the Western Bulldogs fell to Collingwood by just two points in front of almost 13,000 fans at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

In a remarkable contest for a pre-season match, the Western Bulldogs – powered by a dominant 33-disposal display from dashing defender Jason Johannisen and a three-goal effort from young key forward Tom Boyd – played the frenetic football that made them one of last season's bolters, leading by as much as 40 points midway through the second term.

But the complexion of the game changed after halftime when the seemingly undercooked Pies upped their rotations, piling on seven successive goals to storm to an eight-point lead just 17 minutes into the third term.

Bulldogs sharpshooter Jake Stringer missed a flying shot in the dying moments, as the Pies won, 1.15.8 (107) to 1.14.12 (105).

Ex-Giant Treloar, whose only official match practice had been three quarters in the VFL last week, showed no sign of any lingering groin problems, amassing 26 disposals and two goals.

After starting on the bench, Treloar was soon showing his class and work ethic, often starting a chain of handballs and getting on the end of it 60 metres downfield, as he did when he nailed a lovely running shot after 21 minutes.

Treloar later slotted a goal from outside the arc, and combined well with skipper Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Dane Swan and former Giants teammate Taylor Adams.

The Bulldogs will sweat on the fitness of ruckman Tom Campbell, who left the field in the second term with a right foot injury and didn't return, raising a possible selection dilemma for the Dogs with veteran ruckman Will Minson nursing a hamstring strain that could sideline him for round one and Jordan Roughead being left out of the clash with the Pies.

Tom Boyd has emerged as a possible ruck option after his impressive showing, with the talented 20-year-old contesting the first centre bounce and acquitting himself well around the ground.

However, Boyd did his best work in attack, taking two superb contested marks in the first quarter, the second being a huge, floating pack mark in the goalsquare, which he converted.

At the other end, fellow forward hope Moore showed he might be ready to assume the key role of second tall forward alongside spearhead Travis Cloke, who had a quiet day, kicking two easy goals from the goal line in general play.

A major concern for the Pies on the eve of the premiership season was their sloppy play in the first half when they made numerous elementary skill errors, particularly in defence where a series of kicking blunders under little or no pressure provided the Dogs with scoring opportunities.

WHAT WE LEARNED
Collingwood: Good teams take advantage of basic skill errors, and the Pies had too many fumbles and missed kicks when under little pressure in the first half. In the third quarter their midfield got on top and the Magpies fought back, showing Collingwood can match it with the best teams in the middle.
 
Western Bulldogs: Opposition teams have had the whole pre-season to scout the Dogs' runners off half-back, but that doesn’t mean they are easy to stop. Robert Murphy and Easton Wood were All Australians last year, and Jason Johannisen is not far off raising his game to that level. The quick ball movement they provide helps create one-on-ones in the forward line, a situation Jake Stringer relishes.
 
NEW FACES
Collingwood: Adam Treloar was involved in a scoring chain starting from half-back in the first quarter, finishing the play with a goal. Another burst through the middle in the third quarter saw Treloar kick perfectly to Darcy Moore while running flat out. Moore didn't convert but that combination should excite Collingwood fans. James Aish only came on in the last quarter, and didn't do much in the time he spent on a wing.
 
Western Bulldogs: Matthew Suckling showed how dangerous his kicking can be around goal in the first quarter, kicking a nine-pointer from 55m out on the wrong side for a left footer. Mature-age recruit Marcus Adams spent a lot of time on Travis Cloke, with Cloke only kicking two goals.
 
NEXT UP
The home and away season beckons. Collingwood will play the Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday, March 26. The Western Bulldogs go up against last year's minor premier, Fremantle, at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, March 27.
 
COLLINGWOOD                 0.3.3   0.5.4   1.12.7    1.15.8    (107)
WESTERN BULLDOGS        1.5.3   1.9.7   1.11.9    1.14.12  (105)

NAB SUPERGOALS
Collingwood: Fasolo
Western Bulldogs: Suckling
 
GOALS
Collingwood: Moore 4, Varcoe 2, Gault 2, Cloke 2, Treloar 2, Fasolo, Blair, Crisp
Western Bulldogs: T Boyd 3, Wallis 3, Hunter 2, Stringer, Redpath, Campbell, Bontempelli, McLean, Stevens
 
BEST
Collingwood: Treloar, Adams, Moore, De Goey, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Swan
Western Bulldogs: Hunter, Bontempelli, Johannisen, Dahlhaus, Wallis, T Boyd
 
INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Campbell (ankle)
 
Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: O'Gorman, Meredith, Ryan
 
Official crowd: 12,594.