Collingwood have held off a brave Gold Coast to claim a thrilling five-point AFL win at a slippery Carrara Stadium to extend their winning streak to six games.
In a see-sawing contest, the Magpies just found the winning edge to claim a 9.13 (67) to 8.14 (62) victory and move to sixth on the ladder.
Josh Daicos and Jack Ginnivan kicked three goals each for the visitors, while Daicos' brother Nick was best on ground with a career-high 37 disposals, seven score involvements and 674 metres gained.
Izak Rankine starred for the Suns, with four goals, as Gold Coast slipped to a 7-8 record and their hopes of sneaking into the top eight starting to slip away.
Captain Touk Miller had 31 touches for the hosts, while Noah Anderson (30 disposals, one goal) was also excellent.
The win came at a cost for both clubs with Darcy Moore stretchered off in the final term after injuring his left knee in a marking contest, while Connor Budarick and Ben Ainsworth also suffered lower-leg injuries in a desperate last quarter.
Collingwood's triumph came despite an out-of-sorts return to the AFL by superstar Jordan de Goey, who could only manage 11 touches in his first game since returning from a period of personal leave after a controversial trip to Bali during the mid-season bye.
The Suns were quick out of the blocks, kicking the first three goals including one to debutant Hewago Oea.
The Papua New Guinea product, a late inclusion for the hosts at the expense of Chris Burgess, kicked a major with his first touch in the AFL, finishing truly on the run with the outside of his right foot to spark a big on-field celebration with his teammates.
The Magpies responded after the 20-year-old's moment, with young gun Ginnivan kicking two goals in quick time after Oliver Henry's opener to level the scores.
The visitors probably should have hit the front by quarter time but Taylor Adams and Henry were both guilty of missing gettable set shots.
Josh Daicos's first goal early in the second quarter put the Magpies in front for the first time before Ginnivan added his third to make it five unanswered for Collingwood.
Rankine ended that run with a brilliant snap from the pocket before Noah Anderson got on the end of some clever Mal Rosas work to get the Suns within two points.
Josh Daicos's second of the match in the final minute of the quarter ensured the Pies held a nine-point lead at the main break.
Both teams scrapped for over 17 minutes without a goal in the third term before another Suns' first-gamer, James Tsitas, set up Rankine for his second after Matt Rowell did well to smother a Scott Pendlebury kick.
Another behind by Levi Casboult, the Suns' fifth of the term, after the big forward had taken a screamer of a mark, ensured it was the hosts' ahead by just one point at the final turn.
A double to Rankine early in the final term, including a freakish effort off the ground, put the Suns further ahead.
Josh Daicos stepped up with his third after combining with his brother to cut the margin back to a goal with just over seven minutes to play.
Brody Mihocek, guilty of burning a gilt-edged opportunity in the second term, made no mistake after a good mark to again level the scores and then Will Hoskin-Elliott's first of the night put the visitors in a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Cats get timely percentage boost with North belting
The pressure continues to build on beleaguered North Melbourne coach David Noble, whose last-placed side suffered a 112-point AFL demolition at Geelong.
The Cats showed no mercy to the undermanned Kangaroos, warming up for next week's blockbuster against top side Melbourne with a 21.18 (144) to 5.2 (32) romp on Saturday night at Kardinia Park.
Already at long odds, North's job was made even harder when they lost luckless utility Aaron Hall to a hamstring injury in the first two minutes of the game.
That was after Cats star Patrick Dangerfield marked his return after four weeks out with a calf injury by kicking the opening goal of the game from the centre bounce after 13 seconds.
Late in the first quarter, with North three goals down, Kayne Turner was also forced out of the match when he hit his head and hurt his knee in a clash with Mark Blivacs.
The Kangaroos rallied, kicking the last three goals of the opening term to trail by just four points at quarter-time.
But the Cats ramped up their team defence to repeatedly force turnovers as they boosted their percentage ahead of next Thursday night's big game at Kardinia Park.
North only managed two goals and 13 inside 50s for the rest of the match.
It is North's biggest losing margin of the season and comes in the same week that long-time North administrator Geoff Walsh returned to Arden St in an advisory role as they review their football operations.
Walsh sat in the coaches' box for the match.
This is North's third three-figure losing margin since Noble took over as coach last season, following their 128-point surrender to the Western Bulldogs in round three in 2021 and Brisbane's 108-point demolition in round three this year.
It emerged later that Noble had given his players a fierce "spray" after the Lions loss.
North have lost 12 in a row and since round five, their lowest losing margin has been 47 points.
As North continue to wallow at the foot of the ladder, the ruthless Cats took full toll.
Key forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins lapped up the faultless supply from their teammates further up the field.
Cameron was best afield with four goals and 30 possessions, while Hawkins kicked six goals.
Dangerfield was managed through the game in his return from injury and looked in solid touch after his barnstorming start to the game, racking up 19 disposals.
Fellow on-baller Mitch Duncan marked his 250th game with 30 possessions and had a shot at goal after the final siren, but could not cap his dream milestone with an accurate kick.
North on-baller Luke Davies-Uniacke was outstanding with a game-high 35 possessions and eight clearances in a lone hand for the sorry Kangaroos.
Demons see off spirited Crows challenge
Another class double-act from Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver has helped Melbourne overcome a plucky Adelaide by 29 points for a valuable AFL win.
The Demons keep top spot on the ladder after triumphing 14.10 (94) to 10.5 (65) at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Petracca (33 disposals, three goals) and Oliver (36 touches, 13 tackles) were superb as Melbourne stay one win ahead of second-placed Brisbane.
James Harmes (22 touches, one goal), defender Jake Lever and winger Ed Langdon (33 possessions, one goal) were other standouts while Ben Brown and Mitch Brown scored two goals each for the Demons.
The 13th-placed Crows, inspired by Jordan Dawson (30 possessions, seven inside 50s) were in the hunt and just five points down eight minutes into the final term.
But Melbourne emphatically killed off the challenge with five of the next six goals.
The match started at furious pace when the Demons booted three goals in the initial seven minutes and Adelaide four in the next 10.
Melbourne, courtesy of Petracca's late second major, held a 5.1 to 4.0 quarter-time lead.
Scoring dried in the second term with the goal-less stretch into the 23rd minute before Crow Riley Thilthorpe converted.
His teammate Wayne Milera ran into an open goal and the Crows hit the front by four points - ultimately, for the last time of the match.
Petracca responded with a classy 45-metre goal to again give Melbourne a lead at a break, 6.3 to 6.2 at half-time.
The Demons seemingly made a decisive move in the third quarter, overpowering Adelaide with three consecutive goals — the last from Kysaiah Pickett put them 24 points up.
But Pickett will likely face an AFL fine for a third-term punch tackle which sent Crows backman Jordon Butts, holding his ribs, to the bench.
Adelaide's influential Dawson was swung into attack and, with an accurate 45m set shot, reduced the deficit to 17 points at three quarter-time.
And after majors to Rory Laird (32 touches, nine inside 50s) and Ben Keays (30 disposals, two goals), the Crows were only five points adrift early in the last term.
But Melbourne steamrolled their hosts amid a late flashpoint when Adelaide's Darcy Fogarty appeared to jab Lever in the ribs with a sharp right.
Bombers burst Swans' bubble at the 'G
Essendon have pulled off arguably their finest win of the AFL season, stunning Sydney by nine points to strike a blow to the Swans' top-four hopes and ease pressure on Bombers coach Ben Rutten.
The Bombers overcame an 11-point deficit at three-quarter time, with Jake Stringer pulling off a monster final term, to prevail 15.5 (95) to 12.14 (86) and leave the Swans to rue their poor efficiency around goal.
Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell (25 disposals) led from the front and was well-supported by Massimo D'Ambrosio, Nick Hind and Zach Merrett (24 disposals, three goals).
Swans co-captain Luke Parker was excellent in his 250th game and was booed by Essendon fans just about every time he touched it, after taunting Dylan Shiel in Sydney's round nine win.
That proved quite often, with Parker racking up 25 disposals and nine clearances.
Chad Warner starred with three goals, seven clearances and 25 disposals while Errol Gulden impressed and Lance Franklin had a hand in plenty up forward.
Off the back of their embarrassing loss to West Coast, Essendon looked set for more pain early in Saturday's contest at the MCG.
Tom Papley snapped the Swans in front less than two minutes into the match and they booted three of the first four goals, often able to stroll from end to end amid a dearth of forward pressure.
Merrett breathed some life into the contest when he snapped his first just before quarter time.
The Bombers found a renewed sense of urgency after the break.
It culminated in five consecutive goals and Wright handing them the lead for the first time in the game.
Sam Reid restored Sydney's four-point lead at half-time.
The Bombers booted the first two goals of the second half but were put under siege as the third quarter progressed.
But the Swans only delivered five points in response before Isaac Heeney and Will Hayward struck in the final 36 seconds of the term to deliver an 11-point lead at the final change.
Then Stringer got off the chain, booting a magnificent checkside then another on the run to get the Bombers back in the contest.
Mason Redman launched from long-range to put Essendon back in front, with Kyle Langford adding another.
With two minutes left, Warner goaled from a 50-metre penalty to keep it tight, before Hind iced the game in the final minute.
Wright could come under match review officer scrutiny for a fourth-quarter hit to Paddy McCartin's back/kidney area.
