THE WESTERN Bulldogs will play Geelong in a qualifying final next weekend after stealing third position from Collingwood with their 24-point win on Sunday evening at Etihad Stadium.

The Dogs entered the match against the Pies needing to win by more than 22 points to make up the 2.82 per cent required for the sides to swap ladder positions.

After a tight three quarters, they were able to break away in the final term to record the 14.16 (100) to 10.16 (76) win, which was enough to set up the clash with the Cats.

It was skipper Brad Johnson who sealed the required margin with a straight set-shot, with just one minute remaining in the game. The siren rang with the ball in the Pies' forward 50, which ensured a thrilling finale to the home-and-away season.

The result leaves Collingwood to play minor premiers St Kilda in the other qualifying final next weekend.

Defenders Brian Lake (26 touches) and Ryan Hargrave (32) were terrific, while Matthew Boyd had 35 in another impressive game.

Jarrod Harbrow was effective across half-back with 29, Johnson kicked four goals and Adam Cooney was instrumental with eight clearances.

Both sides were dealt blows before the game with Ben Hudson (hamstring tightness), Scott Pendlebury (back spasm) and Leigh Brown (virus) all withdrawing.

The Bulldogs' loss left Minson and replacement Andrejs Everitt to do the ruck work against last week's in-form combination of Cameron Wood and Josh Fraser.

The Dogs' pair worked well together to record 32 hit-outs to the Pies' 24 – Minson with 28 on his own.

In an incredibly fast and low-scoring first quarter, the two side's small defenders Heath Shaw (14 touches) and Harbrow (12) were tested as the game became a rebounding contest with both coaches putting numbers behind the ball.

The quarter ended with scores level after the Bulldogs responded to the Pies' early dominance. 

The Magpies won the contested ball for the term 30 to 19, but the Dogs made up for it with efficiency by foot and more than doubling the Pies' marks 52 to 23.

Sharrod Wellingham kicked the first goal of the second to give the Pies the lead, but the Bulldogs steadied and maintained their composure.

A series of blunders in the Magpies' attack saw the Dogs gifted back-to-back shots at goal 10 minutes in, but they could add just the one goal to their tally.

It was enough to move the Dogs nine points clear, which was a lead they held for nearly five minutes until Tarkyn Lockyer booted a goal after John Anthony ran down Shaun Higgins on the wing and won the advantage.

The last two majors of the term – both in red time - went the Bulldogs' way with their veterans in Jason Akermanis and Johnson ensuring a two-goal lead at half time.

While the Dogs were easily the more efficient team at the main break and had moved closer in the contested ball, they had wasted opportunities after outweighing the Pies in forward forays 30 to 21.

Their lone ruckman had had the better of the Magpies' as well, with Minson recording 13 hit-outs and six possessions to the Pies' combined tally of 12 and five. 

Fraser replied to his modest first-half stats with a goal in the opening minute of the third, which was smartly followed up by another to Jack Anthony.
 
After regaining the lead, the Pies watched as the Dogs clawed it back with two points before responding with a two-punch Davis and Dane Swan combination that put them 10 points clear.

A courageous mark to Robert Murphy at the 15-minute mark resulted in the goal that got them within five points, before Nathan Eagleton went on a spectacular two-bounce run through the middle before goaling from outside 50m.

Callan Ward and Josh Hill nabbed the last two goals of the term, which left the margin at two goals once again.

Three points and then a goal to Scott Welsh got the Dogs out by 21 points, before the Pies were able to record their first of the final stanza through Dale Thomas.

There were just two more goals scored after that, and they went the way of the Dogs with Higgins and Johnson confirming their first September opponent.

The Dogs last played the Cats in round 21, and ran out 14-point victors.

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.