For West Coast and Collingwood, Sunday afternoon’s clash was always going to hinge on the outings of respective superstars in Nick Daicos and Harley Reid.

And ultimately, the performances of the two most-talked-about players reflected their team’s, and fortunately for the Magpies it was their gun who ensured finals were sealed by leading them to a 19-point win.

Reid bravely battled through a badly corked left quad he sustained in the first quarter but was not at his match-winning best as the Eagles fell short in a dogged 17.15 (117) to 15.8 (98) defeat.

On the other side, Daicos almost certainly polled another three Brownlow votes with what might be the finest outing of any player from the 202 AFL games played at the Burswood venue.

Daicos defied some heavy attention from Eagle Brady Hough to finish with 39 disposals, 10 clearances, 11 inside 50s and a goal to only add to his reputation as an unstoppable force.

Reid (30 disposals, six clearances and a goal) had Magpies tagger Ed Allan’s attention throughout, but he was beaten by his own body, which was well and truly sore despite bravely battling through despite clearly being limited.

Meanwhile, Daicos had no such issues despite being tagged, gliding across the ground with grace and splitting the Eagles apart at every opportunity.

The three-time All-Australian had some help, with forwards Dan McStay, Lachie Schultz and Tim Membrey all booting three goals each, while Ned Long assisted at the stoppages with eight clearances from 25 disposals.

And his brother Josh (35 disposals) cut through traffic in a similar vein with the Eagles struggling to get a hand on the No.7 on several occasions.

West Coast’s heavy reliance on Reid at the stoppages throughout the year came back to haunt them with the 21-year-old not at his fittest.

Veterans Tim Kelly (23 disposals and six clearances) and Elliot Yeo (28 touches, 11 clearances and a goal) were doing their best to fill the void, but there just wasn’t enough of a spread to stretch the Magpies’ midfield defensively.

Collingwood were at their most damaging in the third term, when they kicked five goals to three on the back of an incredible 20 inside-50s.

Andrew McQualter’s side couldn’t match Collingwood when they took the game up another gear for that period which ultimately proved the difference.

West Coast’s biggest advantage heading into the game was the fact the Magpies had an inexperienced defensive unit, one which they exposed early when Jobe Shanahan kicked the opening goal within the first minute.

However, they conceded the lead with a pair of turnovers in the defensive half costing them goals to McStay and Schultz.

The Eagles had a clear intent to be aggressive with the ball in hand, but too often they missed the crucial kick, and the Magpies were good enough to make them pay on nearly every occasion.

Fortunately for the home side, they shook off their goalkicking woes from seven days earlier in the loss to Richmond, booting six goals from as many shots with their only blemish in the first term being a rushed behind.

West Coast defender Tom McCarthy had told The West Australian they wanted to leave the Magpies “battered and bruised” after the game and he wasn’t lying with the contest going to another level in the second term.

The physicality was exemplified by a big bump from Brandon Starcevich on Allan, which, while legal, rocked the stadium for its ferocity.

West Coast controlled much of the contest, but as fatigue set in close to the main break their system broke down and their skills diminished.

Collingwood kicked four of the last five goals of the first half as a result and despite arguably playing the better brand, the home side were down by a goal at half-time.

As the crowd waited to see if Reid would come back out of the changerooms after the rest, the Magpies built on their momentum, sharpening up their ball movement and overwhelming the Eagles’ defence.

In the blink of an eye, they’d blown the lead out to 34 points before a pair of late Eagles goals kept the game interesting headed into the final quarter.

The crowd began to believe again when the Eagles got within 10 points as Jake Waterman (three goals) and draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler kicked big majors.

Membrey looked to have settled the Magpies with his third, but West Coast’s desperation was there for all to see, and they refused to go away.

Whether it was the fingertips of Tylar Young from a Membrey snap or a chase-down tackle by McCarthy on Will Hayes in the goalsquare, West Coast were giving it their all.

They just couldn’t find the counterpunch to really make Collingwood sweat, as the injury-ravaged Magpies ensured they would once again feature in September.

SCOREBOARD

COLLINGWOOD 6.3, 10.5, 15.11, 17.15 (117)

WEST COAST 6.1, 9.5, 12.6, 15.8 (98)

Goals – COLLINGWOOD: D McStay 3 T Membrey 3 L Schultz 3 R Steele 2 E Allan D Houston N Daicos W Hayes L Sullivan S Swadling WEST COAST: J Waterman 3 T Gross 2 J Shanahan 2 J Williams 2 C Duff-Tytler J Graham T Kelly M Murdock H Reid E Yeo

Best – COLLINGWOOD: N Daicos J Daicos N Long L Schultz D Cameron E Allan. WEST COAST: H Reid E Yeo T Kelly B Williams R Bazzo J Waterman.

Umpires: N Jankovskis M Stevic N Toner A Heffernan. Crowd: 47,609 at Optus Stadium.