Collingwood Senior Coach Craig McRae has addressed the media ahead of his side’s ANZAC Day clash with Essendon.

McRae spoke about the occasion of ANZAC Day, the team’s performance against Port Adelaide last week, and veteran Scott Pendlebury’s impending disposal milestone.

The ANZAC Day occasion

“We’re excited. What an occasion to be able to play footy, put on our colours and represent AFL footy hopefully really proudly and our fans really proudly,” he said.

“I think the day itself has so much significance for all of us and I think last year what Darcy (Moore) spoke really well of was the families that are associated with war and hopefully we can put a smile on some faces that have had to do some tough times over the years.

“It is a great occasion and we’re really grateful to be a part of it.”

Getting better each week

“We want to be a better version of who we are, we don’t want to stand still,” he said.

“There was a lot of positive signs in regards to the team we want to be and exciting to watch and fun to play.

“A lot of hard work, two or three, four, five weeks from our coaches that do an incredible amount of hours to try to makes us better every day.

“We’re a work in progress but that was a step forward.”

Family first mindset

“I think culturally in the last couple of weeks in particular, you walk in there and we want to be a family first footy club,” he said.

“There’s a function before the game with all our partners and all our kids and nothing but positive reports about what that looked like.

“Then after the game, you work really hard and perform well, and there’s all these kids in the change rooms.

“So those little things of who we want to be, to see it and feel it, you go ‘this feels like who we want to be’.

“And then the other part of our fans turning up and it was our first real home game since Round One and to hear the noises they make when we’re going well, it just feels like us.”

Unselfish football

“It’s a by-product of players doing their jobs and running the right patterns and then bringing everyone in the game,” he said.

“I said last night on TV that the goals are ours, so who kicks them it doesn’t really matter.

“To put someone in a better position, goals from the goal square are the best place to kick them from.”

Coming up against Essendon

“They’re really good around stoppage – their numbers are nearly top two for everything around stoppages,” he said.

“Their pressure around stoppage is really strong, so they’re things we need to be on top of.

“Every game presents something different – Port Adelaide contest or aerial power and then this week it’s stoppage and other parts.

"(There’s) no easy games in this competition and they’re in great form.” 

Pendlebury’s 10000 disposal milestone

“I was just putting the presentation together for that for match day and his first goal he looked like a young-faced 18-year-old kicking a goal with his first kick

“He is such an organiser, he’s a coach on the field. When we subbed him out last week he’s coaching on the bench and when we subbed him out in Adelaide he’s coaching from the bench

“We’ll celebrate that and we’ll celebrate him as we continue to do and it’s a remarkable story

“He’s a marvel and we’re so lucky to have him.