Biggest comebacks in history: Pies surpass the ‘Miracle on Grass’

Collingwood break North Melbourne hearts to find a way onto the list of the biggest comeback wins this century

COLLINGWOOD’S extraordinary comeback win over North Melbourne on Sunday won’t be forgotten anytime soon, with the Pies writing their names in the history books.

The 54-point deficit that the Pies overcame at Marvel Stadium makes it the equal seventh biggest comeback win in VFL/AFL history, a list that is headed by Essendon’s legendary win over – you guessed it – North Melbourne in 2001, after the Bombers had trailed by 69 points in the second quarter.

It is also the equal third biggest comeback win this century and the biggest of 2024 after Carlton’s stunning 46-point turnaround against Brisbane in Opening Round.

This century, Brisbane’s ‘Miracle on Grass’ in 2013 – capped off by Ash McGrath’s famous winner – now ranks fifth behind St Kilda’s stunning victory over the Western Bulldogs in 2015, when the Saints trailed by 55 points early in the third quarter before rattling off seven straight goals to kickstart a stunning win.

West Coast’s road victory over Geelong in 2006, in which Dean Cox, Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins engineered a win from 54 points down with 11 minutes gone in the third quarter, is third on the list, tied with Collingwood’s heroics on Sunday.

Remarkably, the Lions have emerged on the winning side of three of the top 10 biggest comeback wins since 2000, with the loss to Carlton in March the first time they’ve tasted bitter defeat having led by such a margin.