AS MUCH as the scoreboard told the story, a single passage of play in the second quarter went a long way to explaining how the Brisbane Lions smashed Collingwood at the MCG last night.

Paul Licuria won a free on the members' wing and, under no pressure, kicked the ball straight into the hands of Lion Tim Notting, parked on his own on the defensive 50 arc.

In the blink of an eye, a sea of maroon was bursting the other way and Jonathan Brown had the ball. He turned and casually measured a 50-metre pass over the head of Jared Brennan, who took a brilliant mark under pressure running with the flight.

Brennan converted the fifth of his seven goals, the margin was 47 points and the game was all but over. Two more scoring shots before the main break and the contest was finished, though the scoring wasn't.

In the end, it was a thumping, the Lions running out 93-point winners and keeping their unlikely finals dream alive. On the way, they kicked their highest score against the Magpies and defeated them by their largest margin.

Incredible, really.

The Magpies went into the game solid favourites, with a real chance to consolidate a top-four spot and ensure they will see finals actions.

Instead, it was the Lions who brought the sort of form you want to see at this stage of the year, the form they employed last week to destroy Carlton by 117 points.

You got the sense that if it wasn't over midway through the first, it certainly was at quarter-time, when the margin was already out to 39 points. Collingwood had scored first for the night, but it was about the only thing it did ahead of Brisbane all night.

Jamie Charman kicked the first goal for the night and after Travis Cloke levelled the scores at seven points apiece, the Lions nailed the next six goals for the quarter.

A Mick Malthouse spray had the Pies firing early in the second and the first two goals went to Anthony Rocca and Heath Shaw.

But Brisbane lifted its work-rate and steadied, scoring the next four to go to half-time break 54 points ahead.

In the third, the Lions kicked five goals to two, squandering four easy goal opportunities to somehow lessen Collingwood's mess; in the last, they kicked six to two.

Simon Black was brilliant in the midfield, as was Jed Adcock, who contributed 28 disposals and four goals. Rhan Hooper, with three goals, put on the type of magical display through the middle that had the Lions so keen to keep him when he tried to leave the club in the pre-season.

Last week, Brown was the star of the forward line, but last night, even with his three goals, he had to play second fiddle to Brennan, who finally lived up to the hype that has surrounded his young career.

Brennan worked hard, leading up and back, marked well, kicked straight — though he finished with 7.6 — and capped the night with a trademark one-handed overhead grab before slotting his seventh.

The Pies had the sort of monumentally horrendous match most sides experience only once every few years.

They did not have a winner anywhere on the MCG and, what was worse, seemed incapable of competing with Brisbane on any of the basic measures such as tackling, hardness, running or work-rate.

Shane O'Bree tried hard, as did Dane Swan and Heath Shaw, but so insignificant was their impact that the only impression they made was on the stats sheet.

There were number who had terrible nights, but the standouts were Rocca, Leon Davis, Josh Fraser and Cloke.

It is difficult to point the finger too much at the forwards, given the lack of delivery and the fine work of Joel Patfull on Cloke and Daniel Merrett on Rocca, but the fact is, too often when Rocca has a bad night, he has no impact at all.

The Pies lost Scott Pendlebury early to a leg injury.

They will be hoping it was just one to forget as they look ahead to what should be a win against Carlton next week.

For the Lions, however, it will be one to remember.

BRISBANE LIONS 7.6 11.13 16.15 22.17 (149)
COLLINGWOOD 1.3 3.7 5.12 7.14 (56)
GOALS: Brisbane: Brennan 7, Adcock 4, Brown 3, Hooper 3, Charman 2, Black, Roe, Rischitelli. Collingwood: Maxwell 4, Rocca, Cloke, Shaw. BEST: Brisbane: Black, Brennan, Adcock, Brown, Hooper, Charman. Collingwood: Shaw, Swan, O'Bree, Thomas, Maxwell, Clarke.
INJURIES — Brisbane: Drummond (knee). Collingwood: Pendlebury (foot).
UMPIRES: Vozzo, Rosebury, Grun.
CROWD: 45,096 at the MCG.