Collingwood gave the Western Bulldogs an almighty scare on Friday night, making them work all match for a three-point win.

The Pies managed to contain a usually free-flowing Doggies team in the first half at Etihad Stadium, then matched them goal for goal until the final siren.

When the siren sounded the Bulldogs embraced while the men in black and white remained sprawled across the grass.

It was one of those strange late-season matches which should not counted for much, but actually meant a lot.

The Bulldogs cleaned up eighth-placed North Melbourne last weekend, but a question mark still hung over the Bulldogs, a team so unlucky with injuries in 2016.

Meanwhile Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had admitted during the week that he was feeling under pressure, with his team set to miss finals for another season.

In a scrappy first quarter, a couple of poor passages of play from Collingwood resulted in turnovers and scores for the Dogs.

The Bulldogs went into that first break five points up and seemed to have the momentum – season-long form would suggest they were about to pull away from the Pies.

And indeed in the opening minutes of the second term they got a stroke of luck.

In a scramble for the ball in front of the goal, what looked like a throw from Marcus Bontempelli went unpunished, and Nathan Hrovat was able to skip through the contest, scoop up the ball and boot a goal.

Clay Smith got the next major score of the quarter, on the run from about 30 metres out, even as he was being tackled by Tyson Goldsack.

But Collingwood was not going to let the Doggies get away with it that easily.

Darcy Moore kicked his second goal of the night, only to have the Bulldogs' Zaine Cordy returning the favour.

Jordan De Goey, Steele Sidebottom and Adam Oxley scored three in a row for the Magpies, bringing them well back into contention – Sidebottom with a snap shot around his body in front of goal.

The Western Bulldogs went into half-time one point up. Their back line, ravaged by injury all year, had not been able to match the Collingwood talls and the Pies had successfully thwarted their trademark quick-paced, running style.

Picken moved to play on Steele Sidebottom in the third quarter and reduced the influence of the Magpies' vice-captain.

Collingwood played smoother, more confident football than they had for much of the year, piling on three goals early as dark clouds gathered for the Bulldogs. But inspiration for the Dogs came in the form of Lin Jong, who kicked two goals. Collingwood are interested in recruiting Jongand their coaching staff must have been impressed by this performance.

In the centre, Bontempelli and Adam Treloar were equally good, two classy young stars of the game each creating important opportunities for his team.

A sense of desperation entered the game in the last quarter – with less than 10 minutes to go Brayden Maynard, under immense pressure, kicked a soaring goal to level the scores.

With the Dogs holding on by three points with 30 seconds to go, Jong tapped the ball towards the boundary and the umpire called it deliberate. But the Magpies could not make anything of that last half-chance.