COLLINGWOOD has built a reputation as a team that refuses to accept its fate. This season, it has become a team that refuses to embrace its destiny. It has beaten four of the other teams in the top eight, lost narrowly to two and been thrashed only by Hawthorn. But against the next two teams on the ladder, North Melbourne and Carlton, it has lost all four games. Consequently, instead of occupying a place in the top four this morning, it is back in the dogfight to remain in the final eight.

Last night, with all to play for, the Magpies were abject. Their much-vaunted versatile forward line, supposedly the prototype of the future, failed comprehensively. The aggregate return from Messrs Cloke, Didak, Thomas, Medhurst and Davis was three goals, and only Davis could be excused; he wasn't playing. Didak worked for possessions upfield, but Cloke was given a lesson by Michael Firrito and others were little sighted.

Collingwood's only effective forward on the night was Anthony, not Rocca, but John, a fourth-gamer who is, as his bald head and long socks suggest, strong and willing, but raw. In an effort to patch up, coach Mick Malthouse sent Nick Maxwell forward in the third quarter. He snapped an early goal, but the way he and his team were travelling by then can be measured by the fact that it was his first kick for the match.

Malthouse excused only Cloke. "He had very little support from the delivery, and he had very little support from the other forwards, who were quite ordinary," he said. He was scathing of ruckmen Cameron Wood and Chris Bryan, "two ruckmen against a centre half-forward (Drew Petrie) and he was best on ground, second-best on ground and third-best on ground". He was critical again of Heath Shaw, saying he was beaten at half-back and wing and sent forward more in desperation than inspiration.

North coach Dean Laidley exulted in Petrie's performance, in his midfield's ability to absorb pressure and then apply it, and in the zeal of a largely unsung backline. "They won a lot of one-on-ones," he said. "You have to win one-on-ones these days."

What remains in the mind's eye from the night is the sight of a North player, usually the excellent Petrie, sometimes Lachie Hansen, drifting across the backline to mark cleanly, while the Collingwood players stared at empty hands. For North, it was a dream, for Collingwood, a nightmare. The wonder of it all is that the margin was only three goals; even Malthouse conceded that it might have been many more.

Collingwood's review, if it is honest, will be brutal. North set a ferocious pace early, but the Magpies expected that, withstood it and led at quarter-time. Mostly, they enjoy matches played in such vein. The few seconds before quarter-time appeared to tell the tale. With the clock counting down, there was a boundary throw-in on the wing. Malthouse, standing on the spot, appeared to gesture to Scott Pendlebury to take the field. From the stoppage, Pendlebury won the ball and smuggled it past two North players, then slipped a handball to the hovering Didak. There was just enough time for him to drill a trademark goal.

That put the Magpies up by 11 points at the break, and seemed a poor return for North. But within a minute of the re-start, Lindsay Thomas had goaled. Then the ball came free to the irrepressible Brent Harvey forward of the wing, and in the swirl of players, the forward line opened up in front of him.

Harvey ran as only he can, headlong and quickly, to the forward pocket. He shaped to kick at goal, then at the last instant stepped inside Heath Shaw, then baulked him again. Another Collingwood player came at him, just as he meant. With a half-step, he evaded the tackle and looped a handball to Corey Jones, who snapped the goal the play deserved. Suddenly, the scores were level.

Collingwood kicked forward on a prayer, waited for miracles. But this night, there would be no Thomas miracles, nothing outrageous from Didak.

The last goal of the match was kicked by the inspirational Harvey, from a free kick won in defence and advanced by 50 metres, prompting an angry remonstration from Magpie captain Scott Burns. He was gesticulating still after the final siren; it had been a dirty night for the Pies.