But after losing to the Suns on Saturday night, the Magpie midfielder suspected Collingwood's inability to convert goalscoring chances was the difference in the end.
Speaking after the seven-point loss, Pendlebury told AFL Media the Suns made better use of their opportunities than Collingwood.
The Magpies led in most statistical indicators - winning inside 50s by 12 (60 to 48), having 24 more disposals (391 to 367), 17 more tackles (79 to 62), six more contested possessions (140 to 134) and three more scoring shots.
Vote for your top three players following Saturday loss to Gold Coast to help decide who will take home the Magpie Army Player of the Year Award.
Yet Collingwood trailed at every break and did not hit the front in the second half.
After such games, the murmurings about what went wrong sometimes make no more or less sense than the morning sounds of bellbirds.
"Out there it felt like we played some pretty good footy but we just could not kick goals," Pendlebury told AFL Media.
"[If you] can't kick goals any side is going to stick around long enough to challenge."
He said it was one of those nights where goals that should have been kicked weren't and in the end the price for inaccuracy was high.
"We had some easy shots in front of goal, like 30 metres out," Pendlebury said.
"You have got to kick it. You can't keep giving sides a chance and keep them in the game and it just sort of felt like [we did] that all night."
Apart from Travis Cloke's inaccuracy, Tyson Goldsack and Ben Reid hit the post from 30 metres out and Dayne Beams missed a set shot in the last quarter.
The Magpies also gifted Gold Coast two goals after conceding 50m penalties and a turnover from Dane Swan turned a goalscoring opportunity into a Suns' goal.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said the Suns managed to get more numbers to the ball and smashed the Magpies out of the centre at various stages of the game.
Tagged by former teammate Danny Stanley, Pendlebury did not have his usual influence but still had 28 possessions and seven tackles.
In the end there were plenty of logical reasons why Collingwood lost but the reality was the Suns used the ball better than their opponents.
The Magpies have won five of the past seven matches and still sit two games inside the eight but there was no sign of acceptance after the game from the coach or Pendlebury.
"Just disappointed, anytime you have a loss you're flat," Pendlebury said.
He said hard work was the only way to turn around the Magpies' form.
"The only way out of this and to get better is train harder, work smarter and do all the little things during the week," Pendlebury said.
