Scott Pendlebury joins Gold Coast, what his shock move means for Collingwood players, Suns trade narrative set to change

You felt like Scott Pendlebury was going to be in black and white forever.

But after a decorated 442-game career for Collingwood, Pendlebury is off to the Gold Coast Suns.

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The prospect of Pendlebury no longer playing in the AFL feels strange after more than two decades in the game. Playing for a different club feels even stranger.

But the timing is right if Pendlebury, who’ll turn 39 in January, indeed has more left in the tank, with the Magpies moving in a new direction.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall for some time in a year where there’s been much made of Collingwood’s management of Pendlebury and his status in general after breaking the AFL games record.

So what does it mean for Collingwood, Pendlebury, and the Suns?

WHAT IT MEANS FOR COLLINGWOOD

Pendlebury’s departure accelerates the changing of the guard. The future is now.

You wonder how much a promising youth movement in the second half of the season while Pendlebury spent some time on the sidelines due to injury might’ve swung his decision in a transition period of sorts.

A future beyond Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom suddenly mightn’t have felt as scary as it would’ve a few months earlier.

Craig McRae suggested as much after Friday night’s wildcard loss to the Western Bulldogs when he expressed “immense pride” for his side’s form in the second half of the season.

That included seven wins, a draw and three losses — two at the hands of Geelong and Brisbane, plus that post-siren heartbreaker on Friday night — after their bye. It was the most inexperienced Magpies outfit we’d seen in some time, and they charged into finals with genuine momentum.

It was the first time we got a proper look at some of Collingwood’s kids in more meaningful roles — and it turns out the kids are alright!

Sam Swadling (19) showed star potential with composure beyond his years in shades of a young Pendlebury and Sidebottom. You know when Nick Daicos is looking to give you the ball, you’re doing something right. Heck, Swadling was close to Collingwood’s best in his first-ever final and ninth game.

Oscar Steene (23) provided a much-needed clearance boost and a ruck for the future prior to his ACL injury.

Ed Allan (22) gave them a true lockdown defensive midfielder who can win his own footy with great athleticism.

And the likes of Roan Steele (24), Angus Anderson (23), Ned Long (23), Liam Puncher (23), Harvey Harrison (22), Will Hayes (20) and Charlie West (20) got good exposure, had moments and played key roles at various stages.

While not a young pup anymore, Beau McCreery (25) played arguably the best game of his career as a pure midfielder in the draw against Hawthorn and moves with a certain potency with the footy in a way most AFL players simply cannot.

They mightn’t all work out, but for the first time you could see genuine promise in the next generation — and those young players taking responsibility in games.

Most of the kids hit the scoreboard, too, as part of a makeshift attack without key personnel.

Importantly, good environments breed good players — a testament to the system and culture McRae has built.

Plus, as things stand, Collingwood will take a first-round pick, currently the No. 10 selection, to the draft for the first time in three years. It would also be Collingwood’s first top 10 pick in an open draft since taking Jaidyn Stephenson with Pick 6 in 2017.

With all that in mind, it’s likely Pendlebury would’ve been prioritised even less next year. The idea they had to rely heavily on a 38-year-old this year, rather than developing the next wave, never made sense. The club knew it couldn’t rely on him forever.

And so Sidebottom and Pendlebury walking off the MCG as Collingwood players for the final time on Friday night marked a true changing of the guard and the end of an era after a combined 817 games.

But it’s not as though Collingwood lacks strong leadership.

Nick Daicos somehow went to another level as stand-in skipper for the majority of 2026 and would have to be the favourite to take on the role full-time next year.

Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard, Isaac Quaynor, Jamie Elliott, Darcy Cameron and Lachie Schultz are still there as key leadership pillars among many others.

And the likely addition of Lachie Neale not only helps cover the loss of on-field experience, but injects much needed midfield starpower.

All with one of the best coaches in the game steering the ship.

It’s a shame Collingwood fans didn’t get a chance to send off arguably their greatest ever player. Though game 433 was largely that moment.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR PENDLEBURY

You knew Pendlebury was going to eventually leave Collingwood to begin his coaching career elsewhere.

That process has effectively been fast-tracked, with a couple of playing years tacked on that Pendlebury feels he’s up for as part of a four-season deal.

Pendlebury still played at a high level this season; he averaged 22.5 disposals per game with less midfield time including some vintage performances mixed in.

None greater than his career-best 43-disposal, two-goal performance on Anzac Day.

The evergreen champ still has it, even if not quite as consistently. So you can understand why he’s going around again in a new challenge with a different group, which could be on the cusp of success with so much budding talent.

He’s never relied on great athleticism or speed, but his sharp footy brain and IQ. There were even some moments on Friday night when Collingwood could’ve used his cool head under pressure and a more established midfielder that can step up in big moments.

Though, as he even jokingly acknowledged on Saturday, his seasoned body is going to have to get used to a lot more travel. Not that you’d expect him to get on every plane.

Then there’s the coaching side of things, which is clearly the key.

Pendlebury confirmed on Saturday he has ambitions to become a senior coach and now gets the opportunity to step into a new environment and develop his skills elsewhere.

Crucially, he’ll work under one of the great coaches of the modern era in three-time premiership boss Damien Hardwick. That’s despite a rocky 2026 season that fell well short of expectations.

The two years next to Hardwick shows he’s committed to a proper coaching apprenticeship, having essentially already served two unofficial apprenticeships under Craig McRae and Nathan Buckley.

As much as anything, Pendlebury probably just needed a change to keep his mind fresh. He’s previously spoken about how the Magpies’ coaching handover from Nathan Buckley to Craig McRae helped his career by making Collingwood feel new again. Now he gets to experience an entirely different football environment after 21 years at the only club he’s ever known — while building ideas about the game and learning how other respected figures operate.

It may throw a spanner into Pendlebury’s travel plans, too. He had been keen to take a gap year after retiring to travel with his family following 21 years in footy.

That could still be on the cards, but his playing and coaching career will continue to take priority for now.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR GOLD COAST

While it’s a big PR win, the Suns get leadership, credibility and a potential recruiting and/or retention weapon.

This was a club that had plenty of questions surrounding it earlier this year during a disastrous 10-game losing streak, plummeting from premiership contention to well outside finals, despite two extra post-season spots.

They had gone chips-in by adding Christian Petracca for multiple first-round picks in an effort to take the next step.

There was a period when you feared another Suns exodus and continue the vicious cycle of another rebuild, retool, rebrand or whatever you want to call it.

Granted, Ben King is bound for Hawthorn. But young guns Jed Walter and Bailey Humphrey recommitted to the club despite strong rival interest.

And now a Collingwood icon is on the way for nothing as a free agent.

Even if you’re not getting prime Scott Pendlebury on field, the locker room addition is as valuable as anything, particularly for a club still developing a culture and one that came under scrutiny throughout this season. It’s still a young-ish team across the board that needs an adult in the room.

Pendlebury is a winner and has consistently played in finals and the biggest games on the footy calendar. Plus the games record holder has made more MCG appearances than anyone. Adding that DNA is worth its weight in gold.

It’s a very similar move to when Hawthorn greats Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis finished their careers at Brisbane, West Coast and Melbourne respectively.

It’s no coincidence that all three of those clubs won premierships within five years of those Hawks legends arriving.

So, regardless of what version of Pendlebury you get on field or what role he plays, he’ll add the intangible leadership quality every good club needs, as well as the stability of an on-field coach who can organise and structure the troops.

Go watch Pendlebury live to truly appreciate how much marshalling and direction he provides.

Working out how to best deploy Pendlebury and maximise Petracca, which Hardwick admitted he didn’t get right this year, also stands as one of the Suns coach’s key tests for 2027.

Don’t disregard Pendlebury as a player retention and recruiting tool, either.

Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson are due to come out of contract in 2027, which shapes as a crucial year for a club that needs to bounce back.

Continuing to sell Gold Coast as a destination club players want to join is a big win for the Suns — and the AFL — and Pendlebury adds some legitimacy to a side that’s long needed to be taken more seriously.

It’s proof of how far the Suns have come and Petracca can live out his childhood dream of playing alongside Pendlebury — a pairing you’d have long thought would be at Collingwood.

Speaking of, Pendlebury’s link to key Collingwood personnel — including a certain No. 35 superstar Gold Coast reportedly inquired about as a trade target earlier this year — shouldn’t be underestimated.

Could there be some sort of unofficial, soft coaching handover in the pipeline for when Hardwick’s contract expires in 2029? And what doors could Pendlebury, the coach, open for Gold Coast?

Those bigger possibilities are part and parcel of landing one of the biggest names in the history of the game.

For now, the Suns should simply be thrilled about securing their most high-profile recruit since Gary Ablett Jr.