The Scott Pendlebury show is coming to town, and Collingwood is determined to make sure the party lasts a very long time – much to the angst of many AFL identities and former players.
After a couple of highly questionable false starts, the ‘Pies veteran will finally break the record for most AFL games played by any player when Collingwood hosts the West Coast Eagles at the MCG.
Since he was drafted with the No.5 pick in 2005, Pendlebury has been a warrior for the Magpies, notching up 432 games across 22 seasons.
He has become one of Collingwood’s most decorated players, winning two AFL premierships and the 2010 Norm Smith Medal.
The former Magpies captain is a six-time All-Australian, five-time Copeland Trophy winner and the club’s games record holder, while also earning multiple honours for leadership and Anzac Day performances throughout his career.
He is currently locked on the most AFL matches with North Melbourne great Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey and will overtake him against the Eagles on Saturday.
Scott Pendlebury will break the AFL games record after an extraordinary career with Collingwood that began in 2006
Pendlebury’s AFL games record chase has sparked backlash over rest decisions, merchandise profits and salary cap concerns
It is an enormous feat that may not be repeated for some time, but not everybody is strapping on the party hats and breaking out the confetti.
For a start, Collingwood coach Craig McRae has held back the star player for two matches, seemingly to ensure he broke the milestone at home and against weak opposition.
There has also been enormous backlash surrounding commemorative merchandise tied to the match, including special guernseys, boots, wine and watches, with Pendlebury set to receive proceeds from sales.
The gold-numbered commemorative guernsey he will don against West Coast has been dubbed tacky and gaudy.
And leading AFL figures and disgruntled fans of rival clubs have branded the whole circus a ‘cash grab’ that skirts salary cap rules.
It has tarnished a celebration that should have been one of the most wholesome moments in AFL history. So what brought us here? How did one of the greatest statesmen of the game also become one of its most polarising figures?
Was there this much drama when Boomer broke the record?
Pendlebury surpasses Brent Harvey’s (pictured) long-standing AFL games record during Saturday’s historic clash against West Coast at the MCG
Harvey held the AFL games record for nearly a decade after surpassing Michael Tuck’s legendary milestone mark
When Brent Harvey broke the VFL/AFL games record back in 2016, it felt more like a pure football celebration than a major commercial event.
Harvey surpassed Michael Tuck’s legendary mark by playing his 427th AFL game for North Melbourne Football Club, with the Kangaroos paying tribute by weaving ‘427’ into the stripes on their jumpers and replacing the ’50’ on the ground with Harvey’s famous No.29.
There was plenty of emotion around the milestone and enormous respect for Harvey’s incredible durability, but very little controversy. The AFL world celebrated him, the crowd embraced the moment and then everyone largely moved on.
That’s why so many fans are now comparing it to the far bigger spectacle surrounding Scott Pendlebury’s record chase.
Harvey did not have gold-numbered guernseys, commemorative merchandise ranges or debate over whether the moment was being commercially packaged.
There were also no accusations that matches had been managed to ensure the record happened at the perfect venue.
In many ways, Harvey’s milestone is now being held up as the benchmark for how these moments used to be celebrated.
The decision to hold Pendles off until the West Coast game has caused backlash
Craig McRae defended resting Pendlebury, insisting injury management motivated controversial selection decisions throughout the AFL season
The biggest controversy erupted when Craig McRae rested Scott Pendlebury before his record-breaking 433rd AFL game, ensuring the milestone occurred at the MCG against West Coast.
Critics immediately accused the Magpies of ‘staging’ the moment, particularly after Pendlebury sat out the clash with Sydney following the heavy loss to Geelong.
Some fans argued Collingwood had manipulated the fixture to maximise the spectacle, while others questioned whether the celebrations had started to overshadow the football itself.
Former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw was among those questioning the optics, saying the club was putting an individual over the team.
‘It’s a team game. I broke the club record. I wouldn’t have wanted [something like that],’ he said.
‘As a leader and someone who bases everything on the team, which Pendlebury does, I’m not saying he’s making it about himself, this is being forced on him.
Kane Cornes also suggested West Coast should use the build-up as motivation, arguing the Eagles were being treated as little more than ‘extras’ in Pendlebury’s coronation.
‘The disrespect to the Eagles, I haven’t seen anything like it,’ he fumed.
‘They have handpicked you to beat you, to make sure it is Scott Pendlebury’s greatest day of all time.’
McRae, however, strongly rejected suggestions the decision was selfish or manufactured.
He insisted Pendlebury had genuinely needed managing after carrying an Achilles issue earlier in the season and said the club was simply trying to get the veteran through another demanding AFL campaign.
‘He wasn’t ready to play,’ Pendlebury himself later said regarding the Hawthorn match he missed earlier in the year.
McRae also defended the broader celebrations, saying the football world should embrace the achievement instead of tearing it down.
He argued Pendlebury had earned the right to be celebrated after nearly two decades of elite consistency.
‘We can celebrate someone for one day,’ McRae said.
Accusations of turning the milestone into a ‘cash grab’
Reports suggested Pendlebury could personally receive almost $500,000 from milestone merchandise sales tied to celebrations
The controversy did not stop at the scheduling debate. It quickly spilled into the commercial side of Pendlebury’s record-breaking match, with rival clubs and commentators questioning whether the AFL had opened a dangerous loophole around the salary cap.
Under the arrangement approved by the AFL and Collingwood Football Club, Pendlebury is reportedly set to receive 100 per cent of profits from commemorative merchandise linked to his 433rd game.
That includes special-edition guernseys, boots, wine and luxury watches, with reports suggesting the total could approach $500,000.
The scale of the commercial campaign immediately triggered backlash across the football world, particularly after reports emerged that clubs normally receive a significant share of merchandise revenue.
Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson said several rival clubs were ‘absolutely filthy’ over the arrangement, particularly given recent AFL scrutiny around third-party player payments.
‘If I was Geelong and I saw that report last night, I would be going, ‘Holy hell’,’ Wilson said after comparing the situation to Geelong’s recent salary cap investigations.
Kane Cornes also questioned the AFL’s handling of the situation, saying the league had ‘dropped the ball’ by allowing the arrangement to sit outside the salary cap system.
The AFL, however, reportedly considers the arrangement compliant because the payments are tied to licensed merchandise and external commercial activity rather than football services under Pendlebury’s playing contract.
Pendlebury himself has largely stayed out of the salary cap debate.
‘I’ll stay out of that and just do what I do,’ he said.
‘I know what I am doing is right.’
Former teammate Mason Cox launched a fierce defence of the Collingwood champion, arguing critics were missing the point entirely.
‘It p***** me off,’ Cox said.
‘Everyone’s out there talking about him making money rather than celebrating what is the greatest football player we’ve probably seen.’
THAT gold-numbered jersey and how many of them Pendles will wear during the match
Pendlebury’s gold-numbered guernsey became another controversial talking point before his historic record-breaking AFL appearance
Reports claimed Pendlebury could wear up to 12 guernseys during Saturday’s blockbuster record-breaking clash against West Coast
The gold-numbered guernsey has become one of the biggest talking points surrounding Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking match, with the AFL approving a special one-off design featuring a gold No.10 on the back of his Collingwood jumper.
The Magpies plan to lean heavily into the moment, with reports suggesting Pendlebury could wear anywhere between eight and 12 jumpers throughout the match, with each game-worn guernsey expected to become a highly valuable collector’s item after the final siren.
According to reports, some of the match-worn jumpers could fetch as much as $25,000 each, with estimates suggesting Pendlebury alone could earn around $200,000 from guernsey sales tied to the milestone.
Kane Cornes believes it is a slippery slope that could see other players release multiple jerseys for milestones and skate around the salary cap.
‘Are other clubs furious about this? ‘ Cornes asked on Footy Classified.
‘This is very much skating on thin ice. We spoke about Peter Daicos being paid as an ambassador – which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
‘What’s to say other clubs, or even Collingwood with Jack Crisp playing his 300th game next year, that he can’t wear 12 jerseys with a badge on it. They [the Magpies] can then pay him less money [on his contract].’
Collingwood has also released commemorative versions for fans, while additional merchandise linked to the game includes boots, footballs, scarves, wine and watches.
One signed framed edition has already been released in a strictly limited run of 433 pieces – matching the games record itself.
But inside Collingwood, teammates have strongly defended the tribute.
‘I think ‘Pendles’ can do whatever he wants,’ teammate Patrick Lipinski said.
‘He’s earned the right to be celebrated.’
