{"id":875366,"date":"2026-08-31T20:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T20:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/875366\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T20:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T20:04:24","slug":"would-have-stayed-pendles-twist-as-fresh-details-revealed-in-disappointed-pies-stars-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/875366\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Would have stayed\u2026\u2019: Pendles twist as fresh details revealed in \u2018disappointed\u2019 Pies star\u2019s exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresh details have emerged surrounding Scott Pendlebury\u2019s bombshell Collingwood departure<\/a>, with the Magpies great reportedly left \u201cdisappointed\u201d after the one-year deal he was prepared to sign never arrived.<\/p>\n

Fox Footy\u2019s Jon Ralph revealed Pendlebury would have remained at Collingwood in 2027 had the club put another contract in front of him during the back end of the season.<\/p>\n

Instead, with no offer forthcoming, Pendlebury\u2019s management began exploring alternatives before ultimately approaching Gold Coast themselves over the stunning move north.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe would have stayed for another one year deal if it was offered to him in the back third of the season according to those that know him really well,\u201d Ralph reported during On The Couch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was never forthcoming as both parties worked through it and there was a public stance that the club was working through at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it disappointed Scott Pendlebury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pendlebury\u2019s departure brought an extraordinary 442-game career at Collingwood to an end, with the 38-year-old now joining Gold Coast on a four-year deal.<\/p>\n

He is expected to play for the Suns for the first two seasons before transitioning into Damien Hardwick\u2019s coaching staff for the remaining two years.<\/p>\n

Scott Pendlebury was reportedly left \u201cdisappointed\u201d by how his final season at Collingwood unfolded.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n

Ralph also reported there had been \u201ctension\u201d between the two parties surrounding the manner in which Pendlebury\u2019s departure played out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he left without the farewell to the fans, he said it was Steele Sidebottoms moment and then he did release his or he did announce his retirement through the Herald Sun the next morning,\u201d Ralph said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Collingwood Footy Club was not aware of that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ralph also revealed how the move to Gold Coast came together, with Pendlebury\u2019s management approaching the Suns several weeks ago rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis management sniffed the wind,\u201d Ralph said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey went to the Suns about four to six weeks ago through the Suns recruiter in Kall Burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was actually Pendlebury\u2019s camp who pitched that deal, not the Suns.\u201d<\/p>\n

The revelation adds another layer to one of the biggest moves since the end of Collingwood\u2019s season, with Pendlebury now set to continue his decorated playing career away from the only club he has represented at senior level.<\/p>\n

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, who made a similar late-career move himself, admitted he was stunned when reports of Pendlebury\u2019s decision first emerged.<\/p>\n

After winning four premierships across 307 games for Hawthorn, Mitchell left the club where he had spent his entire AFL career to join West Coast on a three-year deal.<\/p>\n

Mitchell talks Pendlebury comparison | 01:10<\/p>\n

He ultimately played just one season for the Eagles before retiring after 329 games and moving into coaching.<\/p>\n

Mitchell joined Adam Simpson\u2019s coaching staff in 2018 and was an assistant as West Coast defeated Collingwood in that year\u2019s Grand Final, before returning to Hawthorn and eventually taking over as senior coach in 2022.<\/p>\n

Speaking on AFL 360, Mitchell admitted he initially struggled to believe the reports suggesting Pendlebury would follow a similar path.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, I was surprised. I don\u2019t know if you guys sort of knew about it,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was certainly surprised when we read into it.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

\u2018ONE OUT OF THE BOX\u2019: Suns\u2019 Pendles gamble explained \u2014 Will Schofield column<\/a>\ufeff\u2018IN THIRD\u2019: Twist in Butters race as pecking order reportedly emerges<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of thought it was a rumour and one of those things you don\u2019t worry about and then you see it\u2019s legitimate.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he, I don\u2019t know him well, but he seems to be quite a thoughtful person who has thought it through with a level of detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell was then asked what he gained from leaving the familiarity of Hawthorn and experiencing another AFL organisation before beginning his coaching career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think seeing things from the other side is always going to be very different,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think also it\u2019s not just the way you can do and the way you don\u2019t do things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just what questions to ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing how things are done from different organisations obviously gives you a much more rounded view of the game and makes you recognise what you have had and also some things that potentially can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell admitted he was \u201csurprised\u201d by Scott Pendlebury\u2019s decision to leave Collingwood.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s experience provides an intriguing blueprint for what Pendlebury could gain from his move north.<\/p>\n

After spending more than two decades inside Collingwood, the move will expose Pendlebury to a completely different football environment under three-time premiership coach Hardwick before he eventually makes the transition into coaching himself.<\/p>\n

While Mitchell admitted his surprise at the decision, AFL 360\u2019s Garry Lyon was emphatic in his assessment of the move.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrilliant decision, Gerard. In my opinion, absolutely brilliant,\u201d Lyon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom all concerned, I just see this as having winners everywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis time is at Collingwood. Now, had he gone around again, we all would have gone, no, fair enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyon also referenced AFL legend Leigh Matthews\u2019 comments surrounding whether players should have the power to determine when their careers at clubs come to an end.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeigh said two weeks ago, no players get to announce when they stay or go and I\u2019m thinking, well, probably if anyone does, Pendlebury does,\u201d Lyon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Collingwood fans, they should just cheer him on the way out, thank him for what he\u2019s done for this football club, and maybe hope for the day that he comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Collingwood loses one of the most influential figures in the club\u2019s history, Lyon believes Gold Coast emerges as the biggest winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest winners are the Gold Coast Suns, and the AFL not too far behind them, because they need his presence at that football club,\u201d Lyon said.<\/p>\n

Why Pendlebury is perfect for the Suns | 03:10<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can he be to them? Well, he can be the ultimate measuring stick for that footy club.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if you think you\u2019re being professional, Matt Rowell, measure yourself there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you think, Jamarra, you\u2019re working extra, go and measure yourself there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo every single thing that Scott Pendlebury stands for now is the benchmark for that football club, and I think they need a benchmark, Gerard, to me,\u201d Lyon added.<\/p>\n

Ralph also revealed the Suns believe Pendlebury\u2019s arrival could have a significant impact on captain Noah Anderson after a difficult season balancing his leadership and playing responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (the Suns) believe that the biggest benefit is to their second year captain in Noah Anderson,\u201d Ralph said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow he really battled this year by his own admission. I spoke to him after the final game, he said that we felt like we were a dead carcass being kicked at.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe really wasn\u2019t able to juggle the captaincy and playing components.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so the Suns believe he\u2019ll play great football but more to the point, he\u2019ll really allow their captain to shine once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pendlebury therefore heads north not only as one of the most decorated players of his generation, but as a figure capable of having an immediate influence on a Gold Coast side attempting to take the next step.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresh details have emerged surrounding Scott Pendlebury\u2019s bombshell Collingwood departure, with the Magpies great reportedly left \u201cdisappointed\u201d after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875367,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,85,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-875366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875366","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=875366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}