Collingwood has boosted its finals double-chance ambitions by cruising past an undermanned and rudderless Richmond in AFL round 16 at the MCG.

Just three goals in the first half condemned the Tigers to an eighth successive defeat as the Magpies won 20.11 (131) to 9.8 (62).

The Magpies came into the match with an inferior percentage to the five sides above them on the ladder, but went some way to addressing that deficit, eyeing a top four berth that would remove the risk of immediate elimination posed by a loss in the first week of September.

However the Magpies should have made more of their nine-goal half-time lead to bolster that percentage even more.

Four successive wins had injected Collingwood right into the finals equation and the Pies were playing with the confidence and teamwork that saw them almost snatch an unlikely premiership last season.

Indeed, last year the Magpies only stumbled through the latter part of the home-and-away season, so an argument could be made that they were an improved outfit this year.

For the Tigers, their 2003 campaign was now officially over and even allowing for the absence of captain Wayne Campbell, and late withdrawals Kane Johnson and Leon Cameron along with long-term knee victim Darren Gaspar, they were very poor.

Collingwood did have some injury concerns, with Rhyce Shaw withdrawing from the team while Ben Kinnear suffered a serious leg injury that saw him stretchered off while Jason Cloke also picked up a leg injury.

Richmond kicked the first goal and started aggressively, with Mark Coughlan on top of Nathan Buckley, but strangely abandoned that match-up soon after, allowing Buckley to take control of the match.

He went through four opponents in the first quarter as the Magpies far better use of the ball and dominance at stop-plays saw them put the Tigers to the sword in the first half.

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