On his road to today’s record-breaking 433rd AFL game against West Coast, Scott Pendlebury has seemed unbeatable, but the Collingwood great has said he has one major fear.
In front of a sizable crowd at the MCG on Saturday, the Magpies will celebrate Pendlebury breaking retiring North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey’s all-time record for AFL/VFL games.
Prior to the historic game, Pendlebury disclosed that although he does well in wide areas, his performance in enclosed environments is entirely different.
“I got stuck in an MRI machine years ago (in 2015) when I had a shoulder reco and they couldn’t get me out,” Pendlebury told News Corp. “I just freaked out and I have been claustrophobic ever since.” “The last time I had a scan on my calf at the end of last year, ‘Al’ [Pendlebury’s wife] had to come with me and I had to have the green whistle to calm me down.”
Pendlebury acknowledged that his persistent claustrophobia was caused by getting stuck inside an MRI scanner during surgery in 2015.
Pendlebury’s record 433rd AFL/VFL game at the MCG on Saturday will overtake Brent Harvey.
“It’s just a genuine fear thing,” Pendlebury said, crediting his father Bruce (shown on the left) for being his harshest critic throughout his incredible football career and accomplishments. I make every effort to stay away from enclosed areas.
Pendlebury has been his own harshest critic in order to achieve this milestone.
Additionally, he attributes the success of Sale Football Club and Latrobe Valley to his father Bruce, who was an excellent football player.
When I kick for goal, all I can think of is my dad. “Don’t lean back,” Pendlebury remarked. “He rings in my ears.” Remain above the ball.
“He would say, “Yeah, you played well, but what happened on that shot?” if I had fifty touches and performed well but missed a shot on goal. You reclined.
“Dad is a fantastic kick.” He kicks it farther than I can even though he is a left-footer.
Coach Craig McRae is determined to make the most of the “energy” that is buzzing around Collingwood in the lead-up to Pendlebury’s historic debut as the clock ticks down to his milestone.
Collingwood players were pushed by coach Craig McRae to honor Pendlebury by defeating West Coast handily on Saturday afternoon.
Despite recent competitive performances against prominent AFL contenders, Collingwood enters the historic match outside of finals spots.
The record-breaking match between Pendlebury and West Coast is anticipated to draw about 90,000 spectators.
The Pies (4-5-1), who have not won since Anzac Day and are positioned outside of the “wildcard” spots going into round 11, also have business to attend to.
“Playing well is the best way that we can celebrate and honor Pendles, so we’re dialling really deep into that,” Collingwood coach McRae stated. “We’re making sure that we’re in tune with what we need to manage against West Coast and their strengths. We’ll put on a good show for our fans and celebrate Pendles the best way possible.”
In recent weeks, McRae has defended Collingwood’s handling of Pendlebury on several occasions, disputing that the West Coast match was “hand-picked” for a simple kill to commemorate the veteran’s record-breaking 433rd game.
The 38-year-old, who excelled in the crushing defeat over Essendon on Anzac Day, was rested for the previous three weeks’ tie with Hawthorn and close defeat to Sydney.
According to McRae, those games gave the Magpies confidence that they could play at a high level in their quest to return to the finals.
“At the end of the day, we’re here to win, and we’re judged on our wins,” McRae stated. “We’re performing really well at the moment in patches and not getting the result in a couple of close games.” “We’ve got ourselves in a position where we think our game’s getting in better shape and growing week to week.”
“We won’t be taking West Coast lightly, that’s for sure, but we’ve been playing arguably the best teams in the competition for the last three or four weeks and showing that parts of our game stack up.”
The Eagles (3-7), who ended a six-match losing streak with a morale-boosting home victory against GWS last round, will make their first trip to the MCG this season.
“We’re going to make sure we’re ready and aware of that because their pressure was enormous,” McRae stated.
With roughly 90,000 spectators anticipated, Pendlebury’s milestone is predicted to gather the biggest-ever attendance for a home-and-away Magpies-Eagles match.
“I’m excited for what’s been put in front of us,” McRae remarked. “I’ve been quite removed from the commercial side of things, clearly that’s not my job, but our worlds collide on Saturday. There’s going to be a great celebration of our club, our history, and our past. We honor our jumper constantly, we talk about that as our cultural piece and we want to bring our fans along for the ride.”
“What a wonderful chance to embody our culture.”
In Pendlebury’s shadow, Collingwood defender Dan Houston (200 games) and Eagles rookie Harley Reid (50) will also commemorate life achievements.
McRae stated, “We want to make sure those things don’t get missed because they’re big achievements and they make us who [we] are.”
