Western Bulldogs key forward Robert Murphy suffered a serious knee injury as Collingwood powered to another high-scoring AFL victory at the MCG.

The Magpies won a fast-paced, entertaining contest 21.13 (139) to 16.9 (105), with key forwards Anthony Rocca kicking five goals and Chris Tarrant four.

It continued Collingwood's free-scoring start to the season, having topped the 100-point mark in all seven of its victories, often by a considerable margin, to make it easily the highest-scoring side so far this year.

The Magpies' attack was on fire, with Rocca and Tarrant's aerial supremacy and small forwards Leon Davis and Alan Didak a constant threat at ground level with three goals each.

For the Bulldogs, who were already short of key position options, their season took another major blow when they lost Murphy late in the second quarter.

He was stretchered off the ground after his left knee buckled sideways in a Rocca tackle and will be sorely missed, after taking more marks than any other Bulldog so far this season.

The 'Dogs also lost midfielder Daniel Giansiracusa to injury in the opening quarter.

The night started well for the Bulldogs as they controlled the midfield in the opening term with Nathan Eagleton starring in that quarter with 15 disposals and two goals and Scott West also racking up possessions.

But Collingwood's efficiency up forward meant it stayed in touch, before taking control of the match in the second term when it outscored the 'Dogs 7.5 to 3.3.

Tarrant was far too good in the air for Ryan Hargrave, while Bulldogs fullback Brian Harris had a poor night against Rocca.

When the Magpies started winning their share of the midfield battles after quarter-time, they looked the far superior side.

Eagleton was denied the latitude he had in the first quarter, while Shane O'Bree, Paul Licuria and Dane Swan started winning the ball out of the packs.

The Magpies raced to a six-goal lead midway through the third term after Rocca kicked consecutive goals and Didak added another with a clever snap.

The Bulldogs kicked the final four goals of the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 10 points at the final change and provide some hope of stealing victory.

But that was killed off when Swan kicked two goals in the opening four minutes of the last quarter, one from a mark and another from a free kick, to stretch the lead back out to 23 points.

The Bulldogs have now lost four of their past five matches, after starting the season with four straight wins.

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