COLLINGWOOD has joined Melbourne in progressing straight through to the qualifying finals of the NAB Cup after beating Richmond and Carlton on Saturday night.

The Magpies thumped Richmond, handing the Tigers their second defeat after their loss to the Blues in the opening game, then outlasted Carlton by seven points. 

Richmond joins Port Adelaide as one of the first two teams to fall straight into NAB Challenge country.

Carlton, like Adelaide, remains in limbo after winning one game and losing the other.

The Blues could yet emerge as one of two "lucky losers" who make the second round on percentage, remaining out of the regional-based NAB Challenge for at least another match.

However their percentage of 119.6 is unlikely to be enough with four pool rounds remaining and the Crows already better placed to progress with a percentage of 152.4.

For the Magpies, they have two weeks to regroup and another chance to get game time into their young players in front of what is sure to be another impressive crowd.

The Pies' recent premiership and devoted fan base helped 40,300 to Etihad Stadium on Saturday night - the biggest attendance ever for a NAB Cup match other than a grand final.

And the majority of that crowd stayed for the Magpies' second match, which was the last of the night.

Players including Kirk Ugle, Jack Perham, Scott Reed, Lachlan Keefe, Alex Fasolo, Jye Bolton and Tom Hunter were exposed to what is considered a small crowd for Collingwood, but they'll be better for the experience.

The Pies also have the chance to wheel out those who missed - such as Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack and Darren Jolly, who wore a substitute bib for four halves and didn't get a run - in the next round, almost certainly at Etihad Stadium.

Meanwhile it's off to the country for the Tigers - and probably the Blues - where they'll get the chance to work on the deficiencies they discovered against each other and the early pacesetters of the competition.