AFL fans witnessed a slice of history on Anzac Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury delivered one of the finest performances of his 18-year career – a standout display that will likely lead to the 38-year-old being rested for the club’s critical upcoming clash with Hawthorn next Thursday.
Facing off against traditional rival Essendon, Pendlebury put on a clinic that will be remembered in Anzac Day lore: the veteran playmaker finished the match with 43 disposals, 19 direct score involvements, and two crucial goals. This dominant outing earned Pendlebury a record-breaking fourth Anzac Day Medal, pushing him past former Essendon champion James Hird to claim the outright record for most medals awarded to the best on ground in the annual blockbuster fixture.
Despite the career-topping performance, the tight five-day turnaround between the Anzac Day match and Collingwood’s next fixture against Hawthorn means Pendlebury is extremely unlikely to take the field next week. Collingwood head coach Craig McRae opened up about the planned rest in a post-match press conference alongside the star player, noting that the high volume of minutes Pendlebury logged during Saturday’s game puts unnecessary strain on the veteran ahead of the quick turnaround.
“I won’t make that final decision now, but I would probably think you’re unlikely to play next week,” McRae said. “We’ve got a five-day break, we’ll make final decisions early in the week but we’ll see how he pulls up. We already had an initial conversation that it could go either way, but he logged so much time on the ground today, which was perfect for this game but creates challenges for next week. We’ll complete a full fitness assessment during the week before locking in a call.”
McRae made no attempt to hide his admiration for the evergreen veteran, saying he remains constantly amazed by what Pendlebury can produce at an age when most AFL players have long retired.
“He’s played many incredible games throughout his career, and statistically, this is one of the very best,” the coach said. “I told the players on the bench this, and I’ll say it openly: I don’t want to get older and take for granted what this man gives us. What we saw today just reaffirmed he’s a legend of this sport and a legend of this football club. To put in a performance like that at 38, there are no age barriers for him and no ceiling on what he can do. He’s remarkable, every time I watch him play I’m in awe.”
Pendlebury, who has built his 431-game career as a versatile utility capable of slotting into any role the Magpies need, made a last-minute position shift late in the Anzac Day clash that led to his second goal – a change that sparked a raucous “Pendles” chant from the packed crowd of Collingwood supporters. The 38-year-old explained after the match he made the call to move into a deep forward role to grant young teammate Beau McCreery the chance to take over centre bounce duties, and also relished the personal matchup against young Essendon defender Archie Roberts.
“It was actually Beau kept saying he wanted to take centre bounce, so I told him if he wanted it he could have it and I’d move forward,” Pendlebury said. “I actually coached Archie Roberts when I was at Haileybury four years ago, we won a premiership together. When I saw he was matched up on me, I decided I’d take him deep. The old APS school football community has already been talking about that matchup, so I won’t let Arch live that down anytime soon.”
Pendlebury brushed off praise for his individual performance, attributing his stellar day to the team’s solid defensive structure and a bit of good fortune. “The way our team set up today, we defended really well, and I’m happy to just be a small cog in the machine that is this club,” he said. “I was saying to Jordy De Goey late in the game that even when I was trying to stay away from the footy, it still ended up finding me. It was just one of those days where everything bounced my way, and at 38, you definitely take those days.”
The result of the Anzac Day clash sets up a critical round of AFL action, with Collingwood set to take on Hawthorn in a Thursday night fixture that could shape the remainder of the club’s season, as the side waits to confirm Pendlebury’s availability ahead of the match.