Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury is set to play his 314th game for the club this Monday night, claiming the Magpies' games record from 1990 premiership captain Tony Shaw (313).
Having been appointed Magpies’ captain in 2014, Pendlebury will lead the team for the 162nd occasion, surpassing the club captaincy record set by Nathan Buckley with 161.
“Anytime these weeks come up, they make you reflect along the journey and make me look back with a little bit of pride on what I’ve been able to do and how long I’ve been able to play for,” Pendlebury told the media on Thursday.
“But you also realise there’s a lot of people you need to thank along the way and there’s a lot of people who have helped you out.
“There’s a lot of luck that goes into a career let alone one that’s been able to get me this far.”
The six-time All Australian, 2010 Norm Smith Medallist, and five-time Copeland Trophy winner was drafted to Collingwood as a 17-year-old with pick five in the 2005 National Draft.
Now 32 and in his 15th season in the game, he is one of the club’s most consistent performers week in, week out and is regarded as one of the competitions very best.
“It does go by pretty quick. I don’t feel 32 or feel like I’ve played as many games as I have so you always try to stay in the moment, get better and improve,” Pendlebury said.
“I’m still sort of shocked that I’m here about to play game 314 for the club.
“It feels like I’m 150 or 200 games in still trying to look for ways to get better but it’s been a hell of a journey and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I still think I’ve got a bit left in the tank as well.”
The humble midfielder said despite the years gone by, his drive for the game remains the same.
“Every off-season is the most important part of an AFL player’s career and I still wake up in that off-season hungry to go out and try and get that bit better.”
Looking towards Monday’s game, Pendlebury said the Pies are excited for the challenge and they’re hoping to carry through their momentum from the win over Gold Coast.
“We’ll have a good test with Port Adelaide this week. They’ve been really good for the majority of the season so we’re looking forward to that challenge, it’s a big game.”
“It’s going to be finals like, they play a brand of football that demands that but we think we like to play a brand of football that demands that as well.”
