Scott Pendlebury has etched his name into VFL/AFL history, playing his record-breaking 433rd game for Collingwood in front of a crowd of 90,028 at the MCG. The veteran surpassed retired North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey as the competition's all-time games record holder, marking the milestone with 20 disposals and five clearances in a tense 10-point victory over West Coast.
In a surprise move, every Collingwood player wore a gold number on their jumper in honour of Pendlebury, after the club initially planned only for him to wear the special design. Coach Craig McRae admitted they might not have received approval for all the jumpers but said, 'We wanted to look like a team.'
Pendlebury, who made his debut in 2006, also wore custom Puma boots decorated by his children Jax and Darcy. He described the boots as 'probably the best thing I've ever received in footy.' The milestone match followed debate over Collingwood's handling of the veteran, with critics accusing the club of 'hand-picking' West Coast as an easy opponent for the occasion, a claim McRae dismissed as 'naive.'
The Magpies moved back into a wildcard spot with the win, improving to 5-5-1, while the Eagles dropped to 3-8. Pendlebury, who was managed in two of the previous three games, embraced the occasion, saying, 'There's nothing better than the 'G on a Saturday afternoon in front of ninety thousand.'
