One of Collingwood’s finest players is set to notch one of the most important milestones of his storied career so far.
Captain Scott Pendlebury is poised to play his 200th senior game against Gold Coast this Saturday.
Pendlebury will become the 35th man to play 200 games in the Black and White at just 27 years of age.
Perhaps the prototype of the modern midfielder, Pendlebury’s sleek, skillful and slippery style of play makes him one of the bona fide stars of the competition.
Recruited to the club with the fifth overall selection in the 2005 National Draft, Pendlebury has been a fixture in the senior side since goaling with his first kick against Brisbane in round 10, 2006.
In the nine years since, Pendlebury has set about forming a powerful midfield unit that has included the likes of Dane Swan, Dayne Beams, Luke Ball and Steele Sidebottom, and his ability to win the contested ball as well as use his creativity in open space has made him one of the hardest players to tag.
VIDEO: Watch Pendlebury at his best during his All-Australian year of 2014.
His graceful style of play belies his hardness, for he is a fierce tackler and renowned for his abilities at the bottom of the packs.
Pendlebury often appears to be playing at a different tempo to the other players on the field, such is his calmness that stems from playing as a point guard in basketball teams in his youth.
Of course, Pendlebury boasts an imposing trophy cabinet, with his crowning glory his 2010 Norm Smith Medal. It sits comfortably alongside his three E.W. Copeland Trophies, five All-Australian nominations and two ANZAC Day Medal.
Now the captain of the club, Pendlebury, at the age of 27, is in the midst of the prime years of his career and is hell-bent on driving the Magpies back up the ladder under Nathan Buckley.
Scott Pendlebury
Born: 7 January 1988
Height: 191cm
Weight: 91kg
Debut: Round 10 2006 v Brisbane at the MCG
Games: 199
Goals: 130
Honours
Collingwood Premiership Side 2010, Collingwood Pre-Season Premiership Side 2011, Collingwood Captain 2014-2015, Norm Smith Medal 2010 (Grand Final Replay), Runner-Up AFL Rising Star Award 2007, AFL Rising Star Nomination (Round 4 2007 v Port Adelaide), All-Australian 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, All-Australian Nominee 2009, Brownlow Medal Third Place: 2011 (equal), ANZAC Day Medal
2010, 2011, International Rules Series 2008, Victorian State of Origin Team 2008
Milestones
AFL Debut: Collingwood v Brisbane, Round 10 2006 at the MCG
50 AFL Games: Collingwood v St Kilda, Round 19 2008 at the MCG
100 AFL Games: Collingwood v Geelong, Preliminary Final 2010 at the MCG
150 AFL Games: Collingwood v Carlton, Round 2 2013 at the MCG
Career
AFL: 199 games, 130 goals
VFL: 10 games, 4 goals
Pre-Season Competition: 19 games, 7 goals
Collingwood’s 200 game players (total games in brackets)
Tony Shaw (313)
Gordon Coventry (306)
Wayne Richardson (277)
Len Thompson (268)
Scott Burns (265)
Jock McHale (261)
Nathan Buckley (260)
Gavin Brown (254)
Harry Collier (253)
Lou Richards (250)
Peter Daicos (250)
Gavin Crosisca (246)
Phonse Kyne (245)
Dane Swan (243)
Ben Johnson (235)
Simon Prestigiacomo (233)
Dick Lee (230)
Syd Coventry (227)
Tarkyn Lockyer (227)
Shane O’Bree (227)
Les Hughes (225)
Leon Davis (225)
Travis Cloke (223)
Anthony Rocca (220)
Alan Didak (218)
Charlie Dibbs (216)
Ross Dunne (213)
Bill Picken (212)
Max Richardson (211)
Nick Maxwell (208)
Albert Collier (205)
Damien Monkhorst (205)
Graham Wright (201)
Josh Fraser (200)
What a player. What a career. @SP_10 is the winner of the #Copeland Trophy for the 3rd time! Well done #captainscott pic.twitter.com/SLgSLXm0uK
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) October 3, 2014