Collingwood vice-captain Scott Pendlebury capped a magnificent season by winning his first E.W. Copeland Trophy on Friday night.
In front of 1800 guests at Crown, the 23-year-old dual All Australian midfielder polled 65 votes to win by 11 votes over Brownlow Medallist and the winner of the previous three Copelands, Dane Swan.
Swan’s 54 votes earned him the R.T. Rush Trophy, just ahead of 2007 Copeland winner and J.J. Joyce Trophy recipient Travis Cloke, who polled 53 votes.
Cloke also won his first Gordon Coventry Trophy as the club’s leading goal kicker with 69 goals for the season.
Midfielder Luke Ball’s outstanding season was rewarded with his second top-five Copeland finish. His 49 votes earned him fourth ahead of Leon Davis, who was fifth with 47 votes.
Copeland winner Pendlebury has in just six seasons established himself as a Collingwood great and one of the competition’s most decorated midfielders.
In addition to winning the Norm Smith Medal as the best player in the Magpies’ 2010 Grand Final triumph and earning All Australian honours in 2010 and 2011, Pendlebury preceded his maiden best-and-fairest with two Copeland runner-ups (2007, 2010) and a third (2008), highlighting his consistent high performance and durability.
Pendlebury’s reputation as a big-game performer was reinforced, as he also won the Bob Rose Award for the club’s best player in the 2011 finals series. He was the leading possession winner on the ground in both this year’s Grand Final and the 2010 Grand Final replay.
Pendlebury played all 25 games in 2011 bringing his career total to 127. He averaged just under 30 disposals per outing (sixth in the AFL), and led Collingwood for contested possessions (45 per cent of his touches were contested) while disposing of the ball at 78 per cent efficiency. He was also second at Collingwood for tackles (150) and clearances (130), and booted 24 goals.
Swan, meanwhile, fell just short of becoming the first Collingwood player in history to win four- consecutive Copelands, with the order of the top-two reversed from a year ago. The 27-year-oldis one of only four Magpies (along with Phonse Kyne, Bob Rose and Nathan Buckley) to win three-straight best-and-fairest awards.
Swan led the league for total disposals for the third-straight season, and booted a career-best 32 goals, the third most at Collingwood.
Third-placed Cloke took the most marks (192) and contested marks (95) of any player in the competition this year and recorded personal-best returns in both categories as well as disposals, tackles and goals.
Pendlebury led the count early after an excellent start to the season but at round 9 was joined by Dale Thomas at the top of the leader board, with Ball and Heath Shaw equal third at that point in the season.
By round 15 the eventual winner had built a narrow lead from Cloke and Thomas, and then Pendlebury stretched the gap on the field in the latter part of the season, with Swan coming home strongly.
Thomas finished sixth with 46 votes, followed by his fellow All Australian Ben Reid on 44 votes.
Harry O’Brien was eighth with 43 votes - his fifth-straight top-10 finish - while young forward Jarryd Blair was ninth (41 votes), one vote ahead of key defender Chris Tarrant, who capped a successful return to Collingwood by rounding out the top 10.
In other awards presented on the night, Ball added to his fourth-placing in the Copeland by taking out the Gavin Brown Award for leading desire indicators for the second-straight year, while Alex Fasolo won the Harry Collier Trophy as best first year player and Leigh Brown took home the Darren Millane Trophy as best clubman.
Young midfielder Tom Sundberg won the Joseph Wren Trophy as best VFL player, while conditioning coach Mick Dugina won the Phonse Kyne Trophy for services to the club.
CLICK HERE for a list of every Copeland Trophy top 10 since 2000.
2011 Copeland Trophy - Top 10
1st Scott Pendlebury 65 (EW Copeland Trophy)
2nd Dane Swan 54 (RT Rush Trophy)
3rd Travis Cloke 53 (JJ Joyce Trophy)
4th Luke Ball 49 (JF McHale Trophy)
5th Leon Davis 47 (Jack Regan Trophy)
6th Dale Thomas 46
7th Ben Reid 44
8th Harry O’Brien 43
9th Jarryd Blair 41
10th Chris Tarrant 40
Other 2011 award winners
Joseph Wren Trophy (Best VFL Player) - Tom Sundberg
Darren Millane Trophy (Best Clubman) - Leigh Brown
Harry Collier Trophy (Best First Year Player) - Alex Fasolo
Gordon Coventry Trophy (Leading Goal Kicker) - Travis Cloke, 69 goals
Gavin Brown Award (Leading Desire Indicators) - Luke Ball
Bob Rose Award (Best Player in Finals) - Scott Pendlebury
Phonse Kyne Trophy (For Services to the Club) - Mick Dugina
CLICK HERE for a list of every Copeland Trophy top 10 since 2000.
The E.W. Copeland Trophy voting system
1. Each player is allocated one vote for each game in which he is selected to represent the Collingwood Football Club.
2. Up to 20 votes per game can be allocated to the best players as judged by the Collingwood Match Committee. Votes are awarded based on the average vote of all members of the Match Committee.
3. In the event that two or more players finish with the same number of votes then the player who has played in the least amount of games takes the higher position. If these players have played the same number of games then the player who has polled the greater number of “high value” votes will take the higher position.
About the E.W. Copeland Trophy
The E.W. Copeland Trophy perpetuates the memory of Mr Ern Copeland, who was secretary of Collingwood from 1901-23. During that time he became one of the best known football personalities in Australia, renowned for his geniality and capacity for friendship. He was a tireless worker and his services to football earned him Life Membership of the VFL. As club secretary, VFL delegate and later vice-president, he did much to help place Collingwood in the proud position it has held throughout the years.
