Collingwood\u2019s guernsey plans for the champ\u2019s record game<\/a>, the commercial advantages of playing it in front of a full house at the MCG is a no-brainer. <\/p>\nNot to mention that, we frankly mightn\u2019t ever see anyone play this many games again. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s also something to be said around the need for Collingwood to start evolving and learning about its list and what it has underneath is veteran core.<\/p>\n
Pendlebury won\u2019t be there forever (we think?), and they can\u2019t keep relying on the veteran every week. <\/p>\n
In many ways, the management of Pendlebury is a microcosm on how Collingwood should be managing its list as a whole with more of an eye to the future. In a year it\u2019s simply not on the same level as the main contenders.<\/p>\n
Cats beat Pies in Pendlebury game 432 | 04:20<\/p>\n
Despite that, the absence of Pendlebury leaves a key void in McRae\u2019s side. Their midfield got belted by Hawthorn last week in contested possessions (-29) and clearances (-16) the last game he was managed. <\/p>\n
So there\u2019s still an unhealthy reliance on his magnet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a big worry with Pendlebury out, you think about the last two games Scott Pendlebury has been involved in, Anzac Day and (against Geelong), he\u2019s been the highest-rated Collingwood player on the game,\u201d Tigers great Jack Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 100 per cent believe he should come out and play in front of his own fans and potentially 100,000 fans against the West Coast Eagles.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it does leave big holes week to week for Craig McRae to try and fill with different players that aren\u2019t at the stature or Scott Pendlebury and don\u2019t have his IQ.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does throw a bit of chaos into the mix for Collingwood going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018BEST WHOLE GROUND PLAYER IN THE COMP\u2019: HUGE PRAISE FOR HEENEY<\/p>\n
Step aside Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli.<\/p>\n
Isaac Heeney has been labelled the \u201cbest whole ground player in the competition\u201d as the Swans superstar continued his stellar season. <\/p>\n
Heeney put on another masterclass against North Melbourne with three goals from 24 disposals including eight score involvements.<\/p>\n
That means one in every three of Heeney\u2019s touches resulted in a Sydney score …<\/p>\n
The combination of Heeney dominating through the midfield and up forward is the key hallmark of his game.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s averaged 25.7 disposals and two goals per game in 2026 for the ladder-leading Swans as one of the Brownlow Medal favourites.<\/p>\n
Geelong great Cameron Mooney questioned whether Heeney sits \u201con the podium\u201d and \u201cMount Rushmore\u201d of the best players in the competition along with the likes of Marcus Bontempelli and Nick Daicos. <\/p>\n
Is Isaac Heeney the best player in the AFL? (Photo by Daniel Pockett\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
But triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt went a step further and suggested Heeney would be held in higher esteem if he played for a Victorian club. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he is the best whole ground player in the comp,\u201d Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that Dean Cox thinks he\u2019s their best forward, I know he thinks he\u2019s their best midfielder. I\u2019ve got no doubt he could play down back if you need him to.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment they are using him and Chad Warner forward. I just think this man here, because he\u2019s not in the Melbourne bubble, doesn\u2019t get the credit he deserves.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a bona fide superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heeney himself said after the win over North Melbourne having a balanced game and being able to impact forward is \u201csomething I pride myself on\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m finishing my goals, which is nice, so taking my opportunities,\u201d he told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can do a bit of both, it\u2019s sort of what \u2018Coxy\u2019 wants me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swans hold on to beat North Melbourne | 04:05<\/p>\n
Heeney got a long-term apprenticeship up forward under John Longmire before finally getting turned into a permanent mid in 2024. <\/p>\n
In a reflection of the rare air Heeney sits in, he\u2019s coming off a 2025 season where he led Sydney\u2019s goalkicking and won the club\u2019s best and fairest \u2014 a feat only Tony Lockett, Adam Goodes and Barry Hall have achieved in Swans colours.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019s putting up even better numbers in 2026 for Dean Cox\u2019s ladder-leading side in a career-best season. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s right at the top of the tree as far as the best player in the competition,\u201d Mooney added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he was in Melbourne, we\u2019d be talking about him flat out like Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli \u2013 for me, he sits equal with those boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
21YO STAR \u2018FORWARD LINE VERSION OF NICK DAICOS\u2019<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a timely, post-Round 9 reminder of what Logan Morris is pulling off \u2013 potentially unheralded \u2013 before our eyes.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s barely missed a game since famously debuting in the Q-Clash almost exactly two years ago.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s kicked 98 (!) goals in 53 matches \u2013 including 21 from eight games this year.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s, already, a dual premiership player \u2026 at 21 years old.<\/p>\n
This all after he slipped to Pick 31 in the 2023 draft.<\/p>\n
Not bad for a kid from Werribee, who in his draft year drew questions over whether he had the versatility and size to make a name for himself at AFL level.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still blows my mind,\u201d Melbourne champion Garry Lyon told Fox Footy on Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he was here in Melbourne playing for one of the big clubs, this bloke would be up there with Nick Daicos, I reckon.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the forward line version of Nick Daicos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Logan Morris keeps levelling up his game (Photo by Albert Perez via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Lyon\u2019s comments came after Morris\u2019 latest impressive showing, booting four goals in Brisbane\u2019s hard-fought win over Carlton.<\/p>\n
Morris spent much of the night on All-Australian defender Jacob Weitering and had several moments where he outplayed him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m loving my footy at the moment. It\u2019s a great group to play with,\u201d Morris told Fox Footy post-game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was good to match up against \u2018Weiters\u2019, he\u2019s one of the best defenders in the comp. It\u2019s good to match up against the best and see how you go. I\u2019m glad I played well but stoked I got the win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lions withstand second half Blues surge | 02:46<\/p>\n
Morris has won the admiration and respect of two champion forwards turned Fox Footy commentators.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s taking his game to a new level, finding different ways to find the footy inside forward 50,\u201d triple premiership Cat Tom Hawkins told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe possesses power and a lot of strength. But if you watch him behind the goals, he\u2019s almost like Jack Gunston with his forward craft, changing angles and constantly on the move. It\u2019s no surprise he gets this sort of space on one of the best full-backs in the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch said Morris was \u201crapidly developing as a complete forward\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot overly big, not overly powerful, but just managed to find the space that he\u2019s created with his leading work. He just converts his opportunities,\u201d Lynch said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very exciting player for the future of this club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lyon: ‘We had opportunities!’ | 05:06<\/p>\n
CURIOUS INJURY BLOW TO SUPERSTAR DUO SET TO TEST SAINTS<\/p>\n
As a critical fortnight looms at Moorabbin, St Kilda has been dealt a curious double injury concern out of Saturday night\u2019s trip to Darwin \u2014 just as Ross Lyon\u2019s side fights to keep its season on track.<\/p>\n
Despite bursting to a 25-point lead before quarter-time, the Saints were overrun by Gold Coast after the first break to slump to a 4-5 record after nine rounds.<\/p>\n
The visitors were also forced into a surprise late change an hour before the bounce, with superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera withdrawn due to what was later revealed to be a corked leg.<\/p>\n
\u201cNasiah Wanganeen-Milera was a late withdrawal. The Saints are trying to be smart with his management. He\u2019s copped such a heavy toll and been targeted every week,\u201d Super Saturday Live\u2019s Jay Clark said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been quite bruising, his start to the season, so he missed Saturday night and they\u2019ll hope to have him cherry-ripe for the Tigers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Saints can ill-afford any lingering issue for their $2 million superstar, with clashes against Richmond, Hawthorn and Sydney to come over the next three weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he\u2019d play, he thought he\u2019d play. He wanted to play tonight,\u201d Lyon said post-game in Darwin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a little bit of soreness. We thought it was a corkie, so he had a scan (and) there was a little bit of bleeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey couldn\u2019t make a definitive decision, so we need another week to let it settle. We\u2019ll find out during the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to the concern, defensive pillar Callum Wilkie failed to play beyond half-time after copping a heavy knee to the back from Suns spearhead Ben King.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worry is Callum Wilkie, who\u2019s hurt his back. His night ended at half-time after copping a very heavy knee to the back from Ben King,\u201d Clark added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe missed the second half of the game, and you\u2019d think he\u2019d have a light week on the track and get up against Richmond on the weekend. It doesn\u2019t look too serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside of a few isolated setbacks, St Kilda\u2019s injury toll in 2026 has been relatively kind compared to several rivals.<\/p>\n
But after a disappointing second half in Darwin\u2019s ultra-humid conditions, the possible absence of Wanganeen-Milera and Wilkie against Richmond could quickly expose the Saints\u2019 depth \u2014 and shape the trajectory of their season after an up-and-down start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A great has hit back at backlash surrounding Scott Pendlebury\u2019s record game. Plus, a huge call on a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":661561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-661560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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