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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews has described Collingwood\u2019s decision to rest Scott Pendlebury as prioritising \u201cromance\u201d over winning games as the Magpies\u2019 season teeters on the edge.<\/p>\n The Magpies are languishing in 10th position on the ladder, with 4-5 win-loss ratio, after falling just six points short against ladder leaders Sydney<\/a> at the SCG on Friday night.<\/p>\n The brave but narrow loss against the Swans with an undermanned side prompted Collingwood coach Craig McRae to defend the club\u2019s management of Pendlebury \u2013 a decision-making process that will ensure he breaks the games record at the MCG next Saturday against the West Coast in front of the Magpie Army.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you want to celebrate the record for the most games in the history of the game here [in Sydney] tonight \u2013 or would you rather do it next week at the MCG?\u201d McRae said on Friday night.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThat\u2019s a simple question, and respectfully, when Pendles has played that many games, we want to make sure that we celebrate him in the right manner.<\/p>\n \u201cHis body isn\u2019t as bulletproof as you think it is. Five- and six-day breaks, all the data says that he\u2019s just getting to the line, and we\u2019re looking after him, and we\u2019ll celebrate him appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n But Matthews, the flag-winning Collingwood and Brisbane Lions coach, said he was uncomfortable with the concept.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, he\u2019s going to play the record-breaking game, it\u2019s a big event, yet we\u2019re going to make sure it\u2019s at the MCG at the expense of potentially getting the four points and your finals chances might be won or lost by a win or a loss,\u201d Matthews told 3AW on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it does seem a little bit over the top to me at the moment in terms of the romance overwhelming the practical aspect of trying to win as many games to play finals.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews said he always wanted to put his best side on the ground every week, but conceded clubs such as Collingwood and Geelong now took a longer-term view in managing players.<\/p>\n Collingwood\u2019s marketing department will plan for a sellout crowd at the MCG next Saturday afternoon to watch 38-year-old Pendlebury pass North Melbourne great Brent Harvey\u2019s record of 432 games.<\/p>\n Pendlebury is expected to wear several special jumpers with a gold No.10 on the back during the match which will be later sold at auction, expected to raise up to $500,000 for the player.<\/p>\n Related Article The AFL has agreed to allow the one-off payday to fall outside the salary cap, saying \u201cany commercial arrangement between parties around the celebration remains confidential\u201d.<\/p>\n Pendlebury has also chosen Elite Estate Wine to produce a \u201cSP433 Record Breaker Pinot Noir\u201d to mark the occasion, while Collingwood have opted for senior players to wear commemorative SP433 jumpers rather than their Indigenous design for the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to assure all members and supporters we will celebrate Sir Doug Nicholls Round and Scott Pendlebury\u2019s historic milestone with the prominence and respect each deserves, Side by Side,\u201d club CEO Craig Kelly said in a recent statement.<\/p>\n Despite the historic significance of the looming milestone, Collingwood have sorely missed Pendlebury in two of their past three games \u2013 he was rested during the Hawthorn draw<\/a> off a five-day break and again against the Swans off a six-day break.<\/p>\n The Pies were already fighting out of their weight division on Friday night, missing captain Darcy Moore (concussion), ruckman Darcy Cameron (ankle), Patrick Lipinski (concussion), Tim Membrey (hamstring) and defender Harry Perryman.<\/p>\n They were further weakened by the loss of ruckman Oscar Steene during the third term after his left knee buckled during a ruck contest.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old rookie<\/a> will have scans for a suspected ruptured ACL in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n But while Steene faces the remainder of the season on the sidelines, debate will continue to rage this week about Collingwood\u2019s handling of Pendlebury.<\/p>\n Former West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson said, \u201cI would not have done it\u201d when talking about resting the Magpie great against Sydney.<\/p>\n He said Collingwood had locked themselves on this path a month ago when Pendlebury won the Anzac Day medal against Essendon<\/a> during a match critics believed he should have been rested.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Instead, he amassed his most possessions (43) in a single game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt goes all the way back to the Anzac Day. If you really wanted to maximise winning every week, he doesn\u2019t play Anzac Day,\u201d Simpson said on SEN on Saturday.<\/p>\n But Simpson said he was happy to move on and fully embrace Pendlebury\u2019s history-breaking moment.<\/p>\n Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said the issue would resurface at the season\u2019s end if Collingwood were still battling to secure a finals berth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be talking too much around it, but when a season gets really tight at the end of the year, like right at the end of the year, where they finish and where they don\u2019t finish, and see that you had a choice, and you did choose the right option,\u201d Hinkley told SEN.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe it chose to have his record-breaking game at the MCG in front of 100,000 people, which it should be. But planning for a season is pretty hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Steene, 22, was helped from the ground at a crucial stage of the third quarter after his left knee buckled during a ruck duel. The Pies were leading by 17 points at that stage.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Collingwood](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7aaeacf1f4795a2d19503526a325d296150ca2f1.jpeg\")
Collingwood fans will celebrate Scott Pendlebury\u2019s milestone at the MCG next Saturday.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Grundy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778906951_353_8ebe77cd0f6e1c4b12f9bec0a4e4f5aae15940f1.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/57ef298ff28f618cb8d8e08d45df4435a9830e7c.jpeg\")
Oscar Steene was assisted by medical staff before leaving the field.AFL Photos<\/p>\n![\"Collingwood\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778532612_447_dfa560fd62d0adb6d98f97549dd5b5655b6414ef.jpeg\")
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