In a massive morale boost for Collingwood fans just five days out from what could be a defining moment in the 2025 AFL Finals series, head coach Craig McRae has thrown his full support behind veteran superstar Scott Pendlebury ahead of the Magpies’ do-or-die qualifying final against St Kilda at RSEA Park on October 12. With the Pies teetering on the edge of another premiership tilt after a rollercoaster season, McRae’s ringing endorsement of the 37-year-old midfield maestro signals that Pendlebury is not just fit to play—he’s primed to lead.
“This is the best news we could hope for,” McRae declared in a fiery press conference at the AIA Centre this morning, his trademark intensity lighting up the room. “Scott’s not just a player; he’s the heartbeat of this footy club. We’ve managed him smartly through the back end of the season, and now? He’s as sharp as he’s been all year. The boys know what he brings—leadership, clutch moments, and that Pendles magic that turns games on their head.”
Pendlebury, Collingwood’s games record holder and a two-time premiership captain, has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks. After a calf tightness scare in the preliminary final last month that saw him subbed out early against Brisbane—contributing to a heartbreaking four-point loss—the football world held its breath. At 37, entering his 21st AFL season following a one-year contract extension announced in August, every niggle feels like it could spell the end of an era. But McRae, ever the optimist, shut down the doubters with a simple update: “Pendles is good to go. He’s trained the house down this week, and you’ll see him out there owning the midfield from the first bounce.”
The timing couldn’t be sweeter. Collingwood enters the finals as the ladder leaders with an 11-3 home-and-away record, but their form has dipped alarmingly in the lead-up, dropping four of their last five including that gut-wrenching prelim defeat. St Kilda, meanwhile, has been the form team of the second half, storming into the top four with a gritty, Ross Lyon-inspired defensive masterclass. Their round 15 clash at Marvel Stadium in June—where the Magpies scraped home by 34 points in a late flurry led by Nick Daicos and Brody Mihocek—feels like a distant memory. This time, the venue shifts to RSEA Park, St Kilda’s fortress, where the Saints boast a near-perfect record against interstate sides.
For Pendlebury, the matchup is personal. He’s faced St Kilda 28 times in his career, averaging 28 disposals and booting 15 goals, but the Saints’ tagger Marcus Windhager has made life difficult in recent encounters. Windhager shadowed Daicos to great effect earlier this year, limiting the young gun to just 18 touches. “If they throw Windhager at me, bring it on,” Pendlebury said post-training, flashing that trademark grin. “I’ve been around long enough to know how to shake a tag. But this isn’t about me—it’s about us getting it right as a team.”
McRae’s brainstorming session with Pendlebury earlier this week was the stuff of legends. Described by insiders as a “deep dive into the dark arts of finals footy,” the pair huddled over game tape, dissecting St Kilda’s pressure game and midfield rotations. Sources close to the club reveal McRae leaned heavily on Pendlebury’s experience from the 2010 and 2023 flag wins, plotting ways to exploit the Saints’ vulnerabilities in transition. “Craig’s got this fire in his belly,” one teammate quipped. “He doesn’t just coach; he brainstorms like a general planning a war.”
The coach’s faith in his skipper extends beyond tactics. McRae, who took over in 2022 and dragged the Pies from the doldrums to a Grand Final, has long viewed Pendlebury as the club’s moral compass. Even amid whispers of list concerns—Collingwood’s average age sits at a league-high 28.5 years—McRae doubled down on his “players over picks” philosophy from last off-season. “Scott sets the standard,” he said. “His professionalism, his recovery—it’s a marvel. We’re building around that core, and this final is where it pays off.”
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, never one to mince words, fired back at the pre-match hype. “Pendlebury’s a gun, no doubt. But finals aren’t won on reputations—they’re won on hunger. We’ve got boys like Max King and Mitch Owens who’ll run through walls.” Lyon’s Saints have transformed RSEA Park into a cauldron of noise and intensity, and with a home crowd expecting blood, the pressure is mutual.
For Collingwood supporters, still raw from the 2024 qualifying final heartbreak and buoyed by the 2023 triumph, this feels like destiny reloaded. A win catapults the Magpies into a semi-final against either Sydney or Geelong; a loss, and it’s sudden-death elimination. Pendlebury, mic’d up for the club’s pre-finals documentary, summed it up: “We’ve been here before. The best teams find a way. And with Choco [McRae] in our corner, we’re finding it together.”
As the clock ticks down to October 12, 7:40pm AEST kickoff, one thing’s clear: McRae’s bold brain trust with Pendlebury has reignited the black-and-white fire. This isn’t just good news—it’s premiership fuel. The Magpie Army is roaring. RSEA Park, brace yourself.
