Editing Collingwood Football Club (section)

===2000–11: The Malthouse era===
Media personality, sports journalist and administrator [[Eddie McGuire]] was elected [[List of Collingwood Football Club presidents|President]] in October 1998. He oversaw the installation of new head coach [[Michael Malthouse]] in October 1999, whose appointment proved to be a masterstroke in reviving the club on-field. Under Malthouse, the acquisition and emergence of players such as [[Paul Licuria]], [[Alan Didak]], [[Anthony Rocca]] and [[Nathan Buckley]] resulted in Collingwood quickly moving up the ladder in the [[2000 AFL season]] and in the [[2001 AFL season]], only narrowly missing the finals in the latter year. Collingwood met reigning premiers [[Brisbane Lions|Brisbane]] in the [[2002 AFL Grand Final|2002 Grand Final]] and were regarded as massive underdogs, eventually falling just 9 points short of an improbable premiership. Buckley, the captain, became just the third player to win the [[Norm Smith Medal]] as best afield in the Grand Final despite being a member of the losing side. Despite a very successful home-and-away next season, they were again defeated by the Lions in the [[2003 AFL Grand Final|2003 Grand Final]], this time in thoroughly convincingly fashion.

Following those Grand Final losses, Collingwood struggled for the next two years, finishing 13th in 2004 and second-last in 2005; the latter meant Collingwood was eligible for a priority pick which the club used to recruit [[Dale Thomas (footballer)|Dale Thomas]]. Collingwood made a return to the finals in 2006, finishing fifth, but were defeated by the [[Western Bulldogs]] by 41 points in its elimination final. A loss to {{AFL Ess}} (who were on the bottom of the ladder at the time) late in the season ultimately cost them the double chance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2012-08-30/beyond-2000-essendon|title=Beyond 2000 – Essendon|publisher=Collingwood FC|first=Luke|last=Mason|date=30 August 2012|access-date=10 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524151821/http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2012-08-30/beyond-2000-essendon|archive-date=24 May 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-08-11/bombers-shock-magpies/1237690|title=Bombers shock Magpies|publisher=ABC News ([[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]])|date=11 August 2006|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref> The 2007 season saw them finish sixth on the ladder at season's conclusion, and in the finals they knocked out the grand finalists of the past two years, [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]], in the elimination final and then [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]] in overtime at [[Subiaco Oval]] in the semi-final. Having earned a preliminary final against {{AFL Gee}}, Collingwood lost to the eventual premiers, by five points in one of the most memorable preliminary finals in over a decade. Nathan Buckley would announce his retirement at season's end after playing just five games in 2007 due to injury.

Collingwood finished eighth in the [[2008 AFL season]] and were assigned an away final against {{AFL Ade}} at [[AAMI Stadium]]. After at one point trailing in the match, Collingwood went on to end Adelaide's season and earn a semi-final meeting against {{AFL StK}}. Having defeated the Saints in both their regular season meetings, Collingwood lost convincingly, ending their 2008 season. The [[2009 AFL season|2009 season]] saw Collingwood finish inside the top-four for the first time since 2003, but in the qualifying final were beaten by minor premiers St Kilda convincingly. Having won a second chance, Collingwood struggled against Adelaide for the second year in a row before John Anthony kicked the match-winning goal with a minute left to send them into another preliminary final meeting with Geelong. But the season ended abruptly for the Magpies, with a 73-point loss to Geelong.

In 2010, Collingwood finished as minor premiers, and after wins in the qualifying and preliminary finals, reached the first [[2010 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] against St Kilda. The match finished as a draw, forcing the first [[grand final replay]] in 33 years. Collingwood won the replay by 56 points. Key defensive player [[Nick Maxwell]] captained the club to victory and midfielder [[Scott Pendlebury]] (who had already won his first of eventually three [[Anzac Day match|Anzac medals]] earlier in the year) was awarded the Norm Smith Medal. The club won a second consecutive minor premiership in 2011, and qualified for the [[2011 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] after a three-point victory against Hawthorn in the preliminary final. However, Collingwood was then beaten by Geelong by 38 points in the decider, after trailing by seven points at three-quarter time. Following the Grand Final loss, which also marked the end of the club's 2011 AFL season, Malthouse left Collingwood after deciding not to stay on as "director of coaching".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-01/malthouse-to-part-ways-with-pies/3205206 |title=Malthouse parts ways with Pies |access-date=22 September 2018 |website=ABC News |agency=Australian Associated Press}}</ref> Star midfielder [[Dane Swan]] won the [[2011 Brownlow Medal]] with a then-record 34 votes. Malthouse would leave having coached the club to eight finals series and four grand finals in 12 years.