Magpies can improve fast: Pendlebury

Updated September 12, 2012 19:22:11

Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury is confident the Magpies can bounce back from the last-start loss to Hawthorn and avoid a straight-sets finals exit.

The Magpies will have to hurriedly regroup following their 38-point defeat at the hands of the Hawks ahead of Saturday's semi-final against West Coast at the MCG.

Pendlebury says the players are upbeat they can turn around the result of their most recent match against West Coast, a 49-point loss at Subiaco Oval in round 22.

"Finals makes a new ball game, there's a lot more pressure on in finals footy," he said.

"Last week against Hawthorn we took great steps in the right direction."

Pendlebury says the return of number one ruckman Darren Jolly, absent from the whipping by the Eagles, will be a major boost against the imposing tag team of Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.

"It's a massive in for us," he said.

"Getting your number one ruckman always helps against probably the best ruck tandem in the league.

"We just want Jolls to compete and also us guys at ground level. We still got smashed in the contested footy and clearances, so we've got a bit of work to do and we're looking forward to getting our hands dirty."

Pendlebury says the Magpies defence will need to step up to cover the absence of suspended skipper Nick Maxwell, with more responsibility falling to the likes of Heath Shaw, Ben Reid and Harry O'Brien.

He also says the death in Las Vegas of Port Adelaide player and former Magpies team-mate John McCarthy has been dealt with by the group in a respectful manner.

"Any time the boys are together, like Monday when we came out and had a good training session, just being able to get together and talk about it," Pendlebury said.

"At times like this you never want to be by yourself and thinking about it.

"When you are together you can all talk and comfort each other."

Meanwhile, the AFL has issued an official warning to the Magpies after coach Nathan Buckley approached the umpires during the three-quarter time break against the Hawks at the MCG last Friday night.

The league has also cautioned Buckley in regard to his post-match comments concerning the matchday report of Maxwell.

AAP/ABC

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, collingwood-3066

First posted September 12, 2012 19:22:11

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Pies' Pendlebury to miss Queen's Birthday match

Updated June 04, 2012 16:05:28

Collingwood star Scott Pendlebury will miss next Monday's Queen's Birthday match against Melbourne after sustaining a crack to his leg.

Pendlebury was substituted at half-time of Sunday's game against the Gold Coast. He had been helped from the ground after a collision with the Suns' Josh Caddy.

Magpies director of football Geoff Walsh confirmed that Pendlebury would be absent for the clash against Melbourne.

"Scott Pendlebury had a scan this morning and that's revealed a slight crack to the top of his tibia," Walsh told the Collingwood website.

"He certainly won't play this week and we'll put him on crutches for 3-4 days so that reduces the weight-bearing issue. We've got a bye the following week so our medical team will reassess it after that.

"In the scheme of things, it's a minor injury but he certainly wouldn't play this week and the fact that we've got a bye the following week is probably opportune because he wouldn't get up the following week.

"Beyond that, we're pretty confident that he'll get up probably for the third game (against West Coast in round 13)."

In more positive news for Collingwood, the club expects Brownlow medallist Dane Swan to return from injury to play against the Demons.

Swan has missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury he picked up in the third quarter of the Magpies' win over Geelong.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, collingwood-3066, vic, australia

First posted June 04, 2012 15:27:07

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Pendlebury signs four-year deal with Pies

Updated March 29, 2012 13:10:51

Collingwood's reigning best and fairest Scott Pendlebury has signed a new deal which will keep him at the AFL club until the end of 2016.

The new four-year contract puts the 24-year-old premiership player out of the reach of Greater Western Sydney, whose poaching concessions do not extend beyond this year's post-season.

It also means the Magpies do not have to sweat on their vice-captain becoming eligible for restricted free agency at the end of his eighth season, next year.

Pendlebury is already eyeing another contract at the end of the current deal to stay a Magpie for life and he hopes one day, lead the club.

"I want to play in Premierships and I think I've got the best chance to do that at Collingwood," Pendlebury told Fox Sports. "I didn't receive an offer from any football club.

"I obviously want to be a Collingwood player for life. Hopefully I find another (contract) at the end (of four year contract) and stay a one club player. That's very important to me.

"Down the future I'd like to lead the football club, I've been lucky enough to learn off guys like Bucks (Nathan Buckley) and Burnsy (Scott Burns) and am still learning under Maxy (Nick Maxwell) at the moment. He's a fantastic role model for me so I've got to learn as much as I can from him.

"Down the track if it presents itself that's something I'd love to do."

Meanwhile, Carlton livewire Mitch Robinson will play his 50th AFL game on Thursday night, but has set his sights on 100 after signing for two more years with the Blues.

"Mitch is highly regarded by everyone at the club and I know the supporters love the way he plays the game," McKay said.

"The fact he finished seventh in last year's best and fairest is an indication of his importance to our team."

Pendlebury is the latest of a wave of big-name AFL stars to sign long-term deals tying them to their teams, in what is seemingly an attempt by clubs to prepare for free agency's arrival at the end of this season.

The Magpie midfielder's deal comes soon after Geelong captain Joel Selwood, Richmond two-time best and fairest Brett Deledio and Essendon key forward Michael Hurley agreed to five-year terms with their clubs.

Young Sydney key forward Sam Reid also recently signed a five-year deal with the Swans.

Pendlebury had been a target of the Giants, though he insists he received no offer from the club.

His commitment to Collingwood is set to increase the speculation over whether team-mate Travis Cloke, believed to be another Giants target, will stay or go.

The 25-year-old power forward, who comes out of contract this year, said last week he would prefer to put off any new deal until the end of the season.

He acknowledged that would leave him facing a year of constant questioning over his future.

While Cloke also said that ideally, he would stay with the Magpies, his reluctance to re-sign quickly gives the expansion club plenty of opportunity to try to lure him to Sydney's west.

AAP

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First posted March 28, 2012 20:04:23

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Pendlebury, captains named club champions

Updated October 08, 2011 10:29:49

Scott Pendlebury has claimed his first Copeland Trophy as Collingwood's best and fairest award winner, upstaging Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan.

Pendlebury polled 65 votes on Friday night while fellow midfielder Swan had 54, one vote ahead of big forward Travis Cloke.

Also on Friday, AFL captains Adam Goodes, Darren Glass and Matthew Boyd all picked up club champion awards while Essendon's David Zaharakis claimed his first Crichton Medal.

Sydney co-captain Goodes won his third Bob Skilton Medal ahead of utility Rhyce Shaw and midfielder Josh Kennedy.

Goodes capped a stellar night by also winning the Paul Kelly Players' Player Award and the Paul Roos Award for best player in the AFL finals.

Shaw was named best clubman, defender Nick Smith the club's most-improved player and 19-year-old centre half-forward Sam Reid won the Rising Star award.

West Coast captain Glass won the Eagles' club champion award for a third time, beating midfielder Matt Priddis on a count back.

In the tightest vote count in the club's 25-year history, Glass and Priddis both polled 398 votes, but Glass was given the nod because he had played one fewer game and thus had a higher vote average.

Ruckman Dean Cox, who last month won his fifth All Australian jumper, finished third, just one vote behind Glass and Priddis.

Bulldogs skipper Boyd won his second Charles Sutton Medal, 10 votes clear of veteran Robert Murphy.

In just his third season the 21-year-old Zaharakis beat team-mate Brent Stanton to the Bombers' best and fairest, with fellow young gun Michael Hurley third.

All-Australian wingman Pendlebury was a popular winner at the Magpies' end of season dinner after finishing runner-up in 2007 and 2010.

Pendlebury's triumph adds to his list of accolades which includes winning the Norm Smith Medal for best-afield in Collingwood's 2010 AFL premiership win over St Kilda.

The 23-year-old also won the Bob Rose Award for Collingwood's best player in the 2011 finals series, which included a 38-point loss in last week's grand final against Geelong.

Swan's runner-up finish meant he fell just shy of becoming the first player to win the Copeland Trophy four consecutive times.

Onballer Luke Ball was fourth with 49 votes, two votes ahead of 2011 All-Australian defender Leon Davis.

Dale Thomas was sixth with 46 votes, followed by his fellow All-Australian Ben Reid on 44.

Cloke booted 69 goals to win Collingwood's Gordon Coventry Trophy for the first time.

Forward Alex Fasolo won the Harry Collier Trophy for best first-year player and retiring big man Leigh Brown was awarded the Darren Millane Trophy as best clubman.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, collingwood-3066, vic, australia, footscray-3011, sydney-2000, nsw, perth-6000, wa, essendon-3040

First posted October 08, 2011 09:08:54

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Interview: Scott Pendlebury

Published:Sunday, May 22, 2011 4:17 AESTExpires:Saturday, August 20, 2011 4:17 AEST

Collingwood midfielder Scott Pendlebury told Dan Lonergan and the Grandstand team that his side was very flat in the first half and it looked like Adelaide was going to keep the Magpies under wraps in the third term but the premiers managed to run away for the win.

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Pendlebury holds off on big contract

Posted May 20, 2011 19:44:00

Star Collingwood midfielder Scott Pendlebury wants the AFL's new collective bargaining agreement finalised before he makes a longer contract commitment.

The man widely regarded as the Magpies' next captain signed a one-year deal on Friday.

Pendlebury's decision to sign a short-term contract means expansion team Greater Western Sydney can still try to sign him as an uncontracted player, because it has its recruiting concessions for two years.

"With the CBA yet to get sorted out it gives me the best opportunity to secure the best deal for myself next year," Pendlebury told the club website.

"We have been working through the contract for four or five months now.

"It wasn't like we sat down this week and signed this week - it's been in the works for a while."

With Pendlebury joining Dane Swan as a confirmed signing and Dale Thomas saying he is about to follow suit, Collingwood is set to keep three of the main GWS recruiting targets.

The trio, who topped Collingwood's best and fairest voting last year, were coming out of contract at the end of this season.

Swan put himself off the GWS radar by signing a three-year deal with Collingwood before the season started.

Thomas said on Friday he is likely to agree to a two-year contract.

"I have been open to offers, but I think at the moment I'd be hopeful to sign shortly with (Collingwood) for a couple of years," Thomas told Melbourne's Nova 100 FM.

Swan won the club's Copeland Trophy last year, with Pendlebury second and Thomas finishing third.

-AAP

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Interview: Scott Pendlebury

Published:Friday, May 13, 2011 10:53 AESTExpires:Thursday, August 11, 2011 10:53 AEST

Collingwood midfielder Scott Pendlebury told Kelli Underwood and the Grandstand team that the Magpies felt they lacked momentum going forward in their first loss of the season against Geelong at the MCG on Friday night.

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