The start and finish of Collingwood's AFLW elimination final gives Stacey Livingstone supreme confidence they can topple reigning premiers Adelaide.
She's also the first to concede there were glaring holes in their five-point escape against the Western Bulldogs.
Even without captain Chelsea Randall, who is out with a head knock, the Crows will start favourites in their home semi-final on Saturday at Unley Oval.
They beat the Magpies by four points at Victoria Park earlier this season and the three-time premiers have a habit of going up a gear when needed.
"Every time we've played them in the last couple of seasons, it's always been maybe a couple of points here or there," Livingstone said.
"Knowing how far we've come, from round four to now - if we can play the way we did on the weekend with our attack and drive there's no reason why we can't (win).
"We can't have any lapses ... because they're a side that in each line they have stars.
"They all come together as one and play so well."
The Magpies should have iced last Sunday's game when they led by 28 points in the third quarter, but they sprayed a wasteful 5.10 and left the door open.
The Bulldogs roared home and Livingstone led a desperate Collingwood defence as they held on grimly.
Joanna Lin saved a certain goal with her late lunge, Livingstone took a big mark late and Imogen Barnett ensured the win with her crucial grab inside the last minute.
Livingstone noted that for all the chaos the Magpies held firm.
"We like to make things hard for ourselves, don't we?" she said.
"We should have taken the game on, but when you do have the ball coming in that fast and so hard you do go into a defensive mindset.
"It was just trying to get people to settle and not just blaze away out of the 50 - find marks where we could, play smart football."
Livingstone is a foundation Collingwood AFLW player and at 34, their defensive general.
"I'm running around with kids," she said.
"I don't act like I'm 34, that's for sure."
The only thing missing from her football career is the AFLW premiership.
"It drives you a lot - it's one of the things you'd love to take away at the end of the year ... we just keep building," she said.
"Who knows when I will retire, but man, I want one and I will just keep working hard to try and do that and push everyone with me."
