Collingwood began the 2012 season shakily, losing to Hawthorn in round 1 and being thrashed by Carlton in Round 3. However, they recovered to win their next ten matches and finish the home-and-away season in fourth place with a record of 16–6. They were defeated by Hawthorn in the Qualifying Final before bouncing back to defeat West Coast in the semi-final. However, they lost comfortably to eventual premier Sydney in the Preliminary Final at ANZ Stadium to bring an end to the 2012 season.