COLLINGWOOD vice-captain Scott Pendlebury has credited new coach Nathan Buckley with making him a better player this year, and Brownlow medallist Dane Swan for providing him with a benchmark to reach.

The 23-year-old, who won his first Copeland Trophy from Swan and Travis Cloke on Friday night, said he had worked closely with Buckley this season following the former club captain's move from forward coach to opposition analysis.

He said he first sat down with Buckley last November and mapped out a plan regarding where they thought he could take his game in 2011.

"We stuck at it every week and regardless of how I played, just focused on improving," he said, after being crowned the best and fairest winner in front of 1800 people at Crown Palladium.

"When I saw someone like Nathan Buckley walk into the football club, who's regarded as one of the greats in the game, I gravitated towards him and just wanted him to improve my game anyway he thought I could.

"After every game I went and found him and said, 'What can I work on, what can I do better?', and he was really good for me this year and helped me develop, and it's going to be no different when he's coach.

"He should expect me to be knocking his door down."

Pendlebury ended Swan's chance to become the first Collingwood player ever to win four consecutive Copeland Trophies, stopping his run that started in 2008.

He said the hard-running midfielder had been an inspiration to him and admitted he had "looked up" to Swan since he arrived at the club at the end of 2005.

"You've set the bar for me, and since I've come to this football club, you're sort of the one who've I've tried to catch," he said.

"I've seen how you perform week in and week out and it's what I aspire to do.

"Your year this year was fantastic and it's just been a pleasure to play with you."

Pendlebury said Buckley had officially sat down with the players on Friday and addressed them as their incoming coach.

He said they weren't expecting huge changes from what pre-season looked like under Mick Malthouse or to the list as a whole as both men were similar in character.

"This morning, he sat down with us and sort of outlined the off-season, our training programs, what to expect in pre-season," he said.

"It's like any pre-season I've done; it's more in the hands of [sports science director] David Buttifant and then Bucks will step in and really put his mark on the side after the fitness base is up.

"I don't think there will be many drastic changes. We've got a great side and were in the [Grand Final] for three quarters so we don't have to get nervous and start making massive changes to the side.

"It's just [a matter of] tweaking a few things, which I'm sure Nathan will do, and go from there."

Leigh Brown is the only confirmed change to the Pies' side for 2012 after he announced his retirement last month.

Recent All Australian and fifth in Friday night's count Leon Davis is yet to make up his mind regarding whether he wants to play on, but Pendlebury said he hoped the half-back would remain at the club for another season. 

"Hopefully the feeling we created throughout the year that we almost had, it will spur him on to go one more year," he said.

"I think he's definitely got it in him, he's a fantastic half-back now and he's got that real ability for us to change a game because he can go forward and he can go back.

"Hopefully he stays on because all the players want him to."

Pendlebury also put it on players such as Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams and Sharrod Wellingham to take their games to a new level next year, and contest for the very award he had just be honoured with.

"It's a team sport but individually you've got to improve if you want to get better, and you see it day one of pre-season when you see who's come back in shape," he said.

"You see who's maybe been an emergency that's jumped out and done a lot of work over the break.

"You seriously look to individuals who want to take their game to the next level.

"They've got the take the next step. Me, Swanny, Bally, the guys up here, we have to take the next step too because as soon as you stand still, you're going backwards."

Jennifer Witham covers Collingwood news for the AFL Website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.