Pendlebury was voted best afield in Friday night’s 26-point win over St Kilda by senior coaches Nathan Buckley and Scott Watters, receiving a combined total of eight votes for his 28 possessions, four tackles and two goals.
The vice-captain has averaged 28.4 disposals in his past four matches and has been one of Collingwood’s most consistent players in its 4-2 start to the season.
Midfielder-turned-defender Dale Thomas received his first votes of the season (seven) after collecting an equal career-high 34 possessions in a new role at half back.
Thomas was the most prolific player on the ground and added some dash and unpredictability to a backline that struggled for creativity against Essendon on ANZAC Day.
Travis Cloke, meanwhile, polled four votes to retain second place on the club leaderboard with 18 votes in total.
Much like Pendlebury, Cloke has been a model of consistency in the first six rounds of the season. Only once has he gone goalless and with 22 majors for the season he is second only to North Melbourne’s Lindsay Thomas in the Coleman Medal race after six games.
He was at his powerful best against St Kilda on Friday night. Opposed to Rhys Stanley, Cloke booted 4.5 from 16 disposals with three of his goals coming in the final quarter as the Magpies finally pulled away from the plucky Saints.
Cloke took 10 marks for the night – the third time he has reached double figures this season. It compares favourably with his difficult 2012 campaign in which he managed to take 10 or more on only two occasions across 25 games.
Other Magpies to feature in the coaches votes include Heath Shaw (who received four for his 22 possessions, five tackles and four rebounds), Brent Macaffer (one, for his 16 possessions and his ability to restrict Nick Dal Santo to the same amount) and Harry O’Brien (one, for his 27 possessions, five tackles and six inside 50s).
It was Macaffer's first match against St Kilda since the 2010 Grand Final Replay. On that occasion he kicked two goals from 14 possessions, one week after he laid five tackles and kicked one goal in the drawn Grand Final.
Nine weeks prior, he arguably played his breakout game against the Saints with three goals, five tackles and 12 possessions in the 48-point win in round 16.
With all that in mind, it's fair to say that he enjoys playing against the Saints.
No Collingwood players feature in the competition’s top 10 after six rounds.
Essendon captain Jobe Watson leads the pack with 35 votes. Port Adelaide prime movers Travis Boak and Hamish Hartlett are level on 30 ahead of Sydney’s Daniel Hannebery (28).
Collingwood v St Kilda - Round Six
| Votes | Player | Club |
| 8 | Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood |
| 7 | Dale Thomas | Collingwood |
| 4 | Travis Cloke | Collingwood |
| 4 | Heath Shaw | Collingwood |
| 3 | Nick Riewoldt | St Kilda |
| 2 | Jarryn Geary | St Kilda |
| 1 | Brent Macaffer | Collingwood |
| 1 | Harry O'Brien | Collingwood |
Collingwood Leaderboard for the 2013 AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award (after six rounds)
| Votes | Player |
| 20 | Scott Pendlebury |
| 18 | Travis Cloke |
| 15 | Steele Sidebottom |
| 10 | Jamie Elliott |
| 8 | Heath Shaw |
| 7 | Dale Thomas |
| 6 | Dane Swan |
| 6 | Harry O'Brien |
| 4 | Quinten Lynch |
| 3 | Nathan Brown |
| 3 | Sam Dwyer |
| 2 | Jarryd Blair |
| 1 | Ben Hudson |
| 1 | Brent Macaffer |
| 1 | Alan Toovey |
Overall 2013 AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award Leaderboard (after six rounds)
| Votes | Player | Club |
| 35 | Jobe Watson | Essendon |
| 30 | Travis Boak | Port Adelaide |
| 30 | Hamish Hartlett | Port Adelaide |
| 28 | Daniel Hannebery | Sydney |
| 27 | Patrick Dangerfield | Adelaide |
| 27 | Kieren Jack | Sydney |
| 27 | Justin Westhoff | Port Adelaide |
| 23 | Joel Selwood | Geelong |
| 23 | Andrew Swallow | North Melbourne |
| 23 | Harry Taylor | Geelong |
