A dominant performer at both ends of the ground gave Collingwood the perfect platform to extend their unbeaten streak against Melbourne to 11 matches with a 25-point victory in a Queens's Birthday AFL classic at the MCG.
Travis Cloke equalled his career-best haul of seven goals - and did so without a single miss - to be a deserving winner of the inaugural Neale Daniher Trophy as the best player afield in the annual marquee clash between the two foundations clubs.
Just as important in the 17.8 (110) to 13.7 (85) victory was the role played by defender Adam Oxley, who drove opposing coach Paul Roos to distraction with a game-high 14 marks as he continually cut off forward thrusts by the Demons.
The victory moved the Magpies back into the top four with a 7-3 win-loss record, while the Demons slipped to 3-7.
Cloke put on a masterclass in an opening quarter dominated by Collingwood.
Matched against Melbourne's best defender Tom McDonald, Cloke had accumulated six marks - four of them contested - six kicks and four goals without a miss by the first break.
He finished with seven goals for the day, plus a tackle on a Melbourne opponent in the first quarter, which Magpies coach Nathan Buckley likened to "something you might see in the Sahara, a big beast pulling down a wildebeest".
"He's been working diligently on (his goalkicking) and regardless of the rollercoaster of external opinion he's been pretty consistent in the way he has gone about it," said Buckley.
"You want to hit the scoreboard early and in the first quarter his workrate and his aerial power was imposing.
"It was a dominant performance."
Playing just his 12th senior game, the 22-year-old Oxley also played a pivotal role in Collingwood's victory.
"He's obviously a good user, he's good aerially, he understands the structure and the way we want to play," said Buckley.
Despite the loss, there was plenty to like about the Demons, who fought back hard from a 30-point deficit early in the first term, to twice hit the front in the second quarter.
One of the biggest moments came midway through the third term when the much-maligned Jack Watts - who made his oft-recalled debut in the corresponding fixture six years ago - goaled after winning a free kick for holding the ball against Travis Varcoe.
But Roos lamented the bizarre decision later in the quarter by Jack Fitzpatrick to "tunnel ball" an attempted rushed behind, gifting a goal to Jarryd Blair and giving the Magpies back the lead for the final time.
"I've never seen it before in a game of footy and I don't think we will see it again," dead-panned Roos.
After three high-scoring and free-flowing quarters, the last was more of a slog, with Collingwood booting the only two goals through Jamie Elliott and Cloke.
