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Collingwood coach Craig McRae has described Scott Pendlebury as the “least selfish” person at the club, saying the veteran is struggling with the attention of his looming record-breaking match.
Pendlebury will equal Brent Harvey’s mark for most games of 432 in VFL/AFL history when he returns for the Magpies’ clash with Geelong at the MCG on Saturday night. The 38-year-old will then rest for Collingwood’s trip to face Sydney at the SCG, before breaking the North Melbourne champion’s 10-year-old record against West Coast in Round 11.
“We’ve got a deliberate plan; Pendles hasn’t played too many five-day breaks in his history,” McRae said on Thursday. “That’s been reported around being selfish, I would have thought Pendles is probably the least selfish person in our team. “But he wouldn’t have played last week, he wasn’t in a position to play physically. ” McRae insists Pendlebury deserves all the attention that comes his way after a glittering career that started back in 2006.
“He’s about to break the games record, that’s so significant in our game,” he said. “We’ll continue to celebrate this incredible player within our building, and not walk past it. “You don’t get to have legends, actually a living legend in your building. “What he’s currently doing is quite remarkable.
“We’re all seeing that we don’t want to walk past that. ” In his record-breaking match, Pendlebury is expected to wear a gold number on his jumper to mark the occasion. The reports prompted derision from rival fans and even 1990 Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw.
“If we’re just considering that someone’s bigger than the team for that one day, can’t we celebrate one person? ” McRae said.
“It doesn’t mean he’s going to play outside the rules, doesn’t mean he’s going to play different to our game plan. “It doesn’t mean the team’s going to just try to give him the ball all the time. “If it’s a jumper with a different colour, we’re probably reading a bit too much into it.
” Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill had been training strongly and pressing his case for a return to the senior team following strong performances in the VFL. But McRae insists Hill needs to further convince coaches he is ready for an AFL return.
“He didn’t play a full game last weekend, as much as we like what he’s doing on the field,” McRae said. “He’s still got a lot of work to do. “This is a long time that he’s been out of the game. “He’s working towards that again.
“Some of it’s performance, some of it’s around his ability to get through a full game, which he’s not quite doing. ”
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