In 2011, Scott Pendlebury and Collingwood felt invincible.

The club had broken a 20-year premiership drought in the most thrilling of fashion, with the 2010 Grand Final draw leading to a 56-point victory over St Kilda the following week.

The premiership was quickly followed by a pre-season training camp in Arizona and the short off-season break meant players arrived in 2011 in impressive shape.

What followed was a scintillating home and away season. Collingwood won all but two games in 2011, only losing to Geelong in rounds eight and 24.

On the surface, the Pies were better placed for a premiership tilt than they had ever been. But Pendlebury says behind the scenes, concerning signs were evident.

“We came into that season absolutely flying. We were so ready to go,” the Collingwood captain told Jay Clark on Collingwood Media podcast ‘Jock and Journo’.

LISTEN: Tune in to the latest episode of Jock and Journo on iTunes.

“But by the back-end of that year, we were probably burnt out a little bit.”

“I think guys certainly enjoyed themselves. Every weekend that you could get out, guys were going out. We celebrated the 2010 premiership for most 2011 as well.

“On the field we masked a few of those issues because we were playing such good football. But we were getting a bit banged up with injuries and things like that.”

“Did you go too far?” Clark asks.

“Yeah, definitely. I think we did.”

The conversation regarding premiership hangovers takes place on Jock and Journo after discussion surrounding the Western Bulldogs form in 2017.

After winning the premiership last season, Luke Beveridge’s side has won six of 12 games at the halfway point of the season.

“I’m not saying the Bulldogs are over-indulging in nightlife, but everywhere you go people are talking about last year and how good it was,” Pendlebury says.

“You’re firmly trying to focus on the year in front, but you’ve got so many people looking back and wanting to pat you on the back.”



The topic is just one of a number of AFL issues discussed on episode 11 of Jock and Journo. Listen to the talking points listed in the audio module below.

- Being friendly to umpires (4:00),
- Premiership hangovers (6:15),
- Feeling invincible in 2011 (12:10),
- “I’m still chasing more” (17:00),
- Locker room politics (21:45),
- A WhatsApp coffee bet debate (26:10),
- Door-stopping and media access (28:50),
- A case of Cat fighting (35:45),
- Handling the bye (39:20),
- A Floyd Mayweather-Connor McGregor flop? (45:10),
- Jay’s button-popping incident (49:20) and more.