Buckley: Where Pendlebury stands among Collingwood’s greatest

This week has been all about Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury after the veteran midfielder broke the all-time V/AFL games record against West Coast at the MCG on Saturday.

The lead-up to the game celebrated everything ‘Pendles’, and there was no better time to talk to some of those who had the biggest impact on his life and career so far on this week’s episode of This is Your Journey – thanks to Tobin Brothers.

One of those key names that Sam Edmund spoke to was Nathan Buckley, who first played with Pendlebury as a teammate before serving as his assistant and head coach for over a decade.

Buckley, who himself is considered amongst Collingwood’s greatest ever players, has Pendlebury standing above everyone else who has worn black and white in the club’s illustrious history.

“I think I said it early last year, or the year before. I just was watching him in a game against Adelaide at the ‘G. He kicked a couple of goals in the first quarter, laid a couple off and had an eight or nine-touch quarter,” Buckley said on This is your Journey – thanks to Tobin Brothers.

“I just remember reflecting at that point, I thought, ‘Oh, there's just no one that that has pulled a Collingwood guernsey on that has had as much impact, and for as long as, Pendles has’.

“Obviously, I've had the benefit of being around it. At the early stages, as a teammate, then as an assistant coach, and then as a senior coach.

“Then in the media, observing from afar, and now as an assistant coach at another club, trying to plot against him.

“In all of those phases, I've admired the bloke and the way that he's carried himself.

“To become the AFL games record holder and to have played so consistently at such a high level, there's just not many people that could even hold a candle to that.

“That'll stand the test of time as a pretty remarkable feat.”

Edmund also spoke to fellow ex-senior coach Mick Malthouse, Scott’s brother Kris and the man who brought him to Collingwood in former recruiter Derek Hine on this week’s episode.

Listen to the full Pendlebury special here