UNDERMANNED Collingwood stormed AAMI Stadium yesterday, claiming a 31-point victory over Adelaide in an AFL elimination final full of twists.

The Magpies started brilliantly to lead by 13 points at quarter-time but had to pull back a 24-point gap in the second term before breaking away to win 19.11 (125) to 14.10 (94) in front of a nonplussed crowd of 37,685.

They will face the loser of today's qualifying final between Geelong and St Kilda. Small forward Paul Medhurst was sublime for the visitors, receiving plenty of assistance from Scott Pendlebury, Nick Maxwell, Shane O'Bree and the mercurial Dale Thomas.

Unheralded pair Chris Dawes and John Anthony kicked three goals each for the Pies.

Scott Stevens (six goals) played out of his skin for the Crows, while Andrew McLeod, Nathan Bock and Robert Shirley also worked hard.

On a pristine afternoon, Adelaide had to be wary of Collingwood's ability to spring out of the gates away from home.

Awareness, though, does not equal prevention and, as if by clockwork the Magpies produced a trademark opening to silence the home crowd and place seeds of doubt in the Crows' minds.

They were fortunate to be as close as 13 points at the break - requiring Tyson Edwards's surgical post-siren set shot from the pocket to get there.

Needing simply to win more of the ball, Adelaide began to do so by getting McLeod involved.

Up forward Stevens had the quarter of his life, firing through three goals to make it four for the half and it took a pair of opportunist efforts by Swan to limit the lead to 12 points.

There was little discernible breeze but the scoring (northern) end had been established and kicking with it in the third the Magpies made their break.

Winning the ball as conclusively out of the middle as it is possible to do, Collingwood fired countless attacks into what became a punchdrunk Crows defence.

Maxwell provided the start, and Travis Cloke, Shannon Cox, Rhyce Shaw and Tarkyn Lockyer all notched majors before Thomas weighed in with a party trick torpedo off one step on the siren to give Adelaide a 20-point gap to make up in the last.

Stevens bobbed up once again for goals five and six to pull them within seven points with plenty of time remaining, but a few flashes of brilliance from Medhurst and a sure finish by Irishman Marty Clarke got the Magpies home. The visitors had to do without injured captain Scott Burns and Anthony Rocca plus suspended duo Heath Shaw and Alan Didak.