Could Scott Pendlebury end up at an arch rival? Plus a simple fix to a controversial rule looms. MORE BELOW IN AFL DAILY.

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As Scott Pendlebury closes in on the all-time AFL games record, clubs are already thought to be queuing up for the Collingwood champion’s services for 2027, should he hang up the boots.

And could an arch rival snare him away from the Pies?

Pendlebury, at age 37, is remarkably coming off one of the best performances of his career with 43 disposals, two goals and 19 score involvements to claim his fourth Anzac Day Medal.

But already clubs are believed to putting in work behind the scenes to try and add Pendlebury, who’s been open about his ambitions to be a senior coach one day, to their footy department for next season.

Carlton is expected to be one of those sides that has a crack.

MOBBED! Pies lose it over Pendles medal | 01:01

“If this is going to be his last season, you know what would be happening behind the scenes; there would be 18 clubs trying to get his signature and services for next year,” chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark said on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.

“If Carlton CEO Graham Wright is not into him already, I’d be absolutely shocked. Probably like every club in the competition is.

“So while we prepare to celebrate him over the next month, I think behind the scenes there would be calls going into him left, right and centre.”

So would Pendlebury be best served moving to another club to get a fresh lens away from Collingwood?

“We’ve talked about Nathan Buckley’s experiences. He lived at Collingwood largely his entire life, until now (at Geelong). What he said is he’s enjoying that other approach with Chris Scott,” Clark added.

“Let’s be honest, (Pendlebury) is probably going to be a senior coach one day. He’ll go to another, I’d imagine, unless Collingwood can keep him.”

FIX TO STAND RULE LOOMS

A simple fix looks set to amend the controversial stand rule at a key meeting on Monday morning.

Chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark reports that, moving forward, umpires will be instructed to use names to specify which player has to stand on the mark.

There’s been confusion up until now, with players left to their own devices amid a crackdown on the stand rule.

It’s caused confusion on the field and costly 50m penalties given away including Suns coach Damien Hardwick blasting the rule after Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s costly infringement against Hawthorn.

Meanwhile Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy declared it’s “got to be the most hated rule in the history of the game.”

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But it appears the rule is set to be simplified.

“Confusion exists and it is clear why and there is an easy fix here,” Clark began on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.

“Until now, umpires have been instructed not to use player’s names in stand situations.

“That’s been deliberate to let the players work it out. Whoever is closest on the mark, you stand.

“But from a meeting (Monday) morning, that will change and we sill see umpires use more names to eradicate that sort of confusion.

“That’ll be the easiest fix in the game on the stand rule.

“I think there will be big meetings about this (on Monday) and I think the ARC will also feature heavily.”

Kangaroos legend David King was critical of the umpiring and overall state of the game, despite AFL footy boss Greg Swann being brought in to clear confusion.

“They’re going to have to amend a rule they’ve already amended. It’s a disaster again for the AFL,” King said.

“This is ribs on the run … there’s so much confusion at the moment.

“Greg Swann came in to iron things out, to make things nice and calm. Fix things with a phone call, with a common sense practical way.

“We’ve got nowhere near that right now. The game has never been more confusing and the umpiring has never been as poor.”