Essendon has reportedly made a bold play to convince Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury to finish his career at Tullamarine.
It comes as the 38-year-old has reportedly told the Pies he wants to play on again in 2027.
Scott Pendlebury of the Magpies. Getty
The Magpies are reportedly still on the fence about whether to offer Pendlebury a contract given his age, but he is seemingly keen to go into a 22nd AFL campaign.
And while AFL reporter Cal Twomey says a move to Essendon won’t come to fruition, it highlights the current lateral thinking at the Bombers as they attempt to add experience and leadership to their list.
“Essendon has been hunting for experienced leaders to add to their group, we know about their meeting with Lachie Neale, we know they had a crack at Touk Miller,” Twomey told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“They’ve also had a dip at Scott Pendlebury to finish his career in the red and black before a coaching role after that.
“Pendles won’t be going there. That won’t be happening, but it does show the Bombers are in the hunt for these types of players.”
Essendon will likely lose former captain Zach Merrett in the trade period, while Jordan Ridley and Darcy Parish are among those also exploring their futures.
If Merrett departs, forwards Peter Wright and Kyle Langford will be the only players over 30 on their list come the start of the 2027 season.
While it looks out of the question that Pendlebury will finish his playing career anywhere but Collingwood, a move elsewhere to gain perspective for how other clubs are run could potentially be a wise move, according to four-time premiership champion Isaac Smith.
The 2022 Norm Smith Medallist pointed out Sam Mitchell finished his career at West Coast and Luke Hodge’s final years in Brisbane were examples of Hawthorn legends doing just that.
“What I saw from Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge and what they were able to do moving to West Coast and Brisbane and the growth they got out of that and how positively they talk about those moves, it would be something he should genuinely look at,” Smith said.
“Pendlebury is obviously a Collingwood person, but if he wants to progress in football and especially coaching, I wouldn’t say (going to another club) would be the worst move.”
If Pendlebury does play on in 2027, he will in all likelihood become the first V/AFL player to ever play 450 career games.
The Bombers were likely dazzled by the veteran’s starring performance on Anzac Day, winning the best on ground medal with a career-high 43 disposals and two goals.