There is no questioning that Collingwood has become the king of the close finish since Craig McRae took over as coach ahead of the 2022 season.
Relatively in his infancy as the main man at the helm, McRae, in games decided by 12 points or less, has walked off the ground victorious on 24 occasions, whilst playing in two draws and copping their fifth loss, which was to Gold Coast on Saturday.
The Pies were once again trailing at three-quarter time, with the margin sitting at 26 points, a feat that has been topped multiple times.
However, it was the Suns who had the last laugh after a rampant Collingwood outfit stormed back into the contest and snatched the lead late in the final term but to no avail as Damien Hardwick's men slotted the final two goals to run out eventual victors by 11 points.
In his post-match address, a fatigued McRae questioned what it was about the final 20 minutes that got his players to change, lamenting poor quarters prior to.
"Anyone that's watched us in the last couple of years knows we're coming," McRae said.
"But you've still got to do all that all the time.
"We're really proud of that part of our culture, and we want to continue to celebrate that, but we don't want to be in these positions.
"How many times do you want to put yourself in a position where you're going to have to do this miraculous comeback?
"The pressure in the last quarter … why aren't we delivering that in the second quarter? You wrestle with this stuff."
The Pies will likely finish Round 16 in sixth position on the ladder, setting up a mouth-watering contest with the fourth-placed Essendon side on Friday at the MCG.
