Collingwood and Essendon Face Criticism Over Actions Toward Scott Pendlebury on Anzac Day
Kane Cornes has raised questions about whether Collingwood “cooked” Scott Pendlebury, which could have negatively impacted their chances of winning the AFL premiership in pursuit of his record fourth Anzac medal. Meanwhile, Garry Lyon has criticized Essendon’s performance in the final quarter, where it appeared they allowed Pendlebury to dominate without resistance.
Pendlebury delivered an outstanding performance, recording a career-high 43 disposals and 19 score involvements, leading Collingwood to a 77-point victory. The Pies’ coach, Craig McRae, allowed Pendlebury to remain on the field for much longer than usual, with him playing 83% of the total game and 92% of the fourth quarter.
After the win, McRae announced that Pendlebury would not be playing against Hawthorn this weekend. The team is aiming to position Pendlebury to break the all-time games record at the MCG, which he could achieve against West Coast on May 23. Currently, he is one game behind Brent Harvey’s record of 432 games. However, Cornes expressed strong disapproval of the decision not to play Pendlebury in crucial upcoming matches.
“I’m not sure when at Collingwood it became about the individual and not the team,” Cornes said. “Scott Pendlebury should be playing this week against Hawthorn; they need him to be playing. The reason he’s not playing against Hawthorn when they desperately need him is because they cooked him, they absolutely cooked him.”
Cornes acknowledged that Pendlebury’s achievement of winning his fourth Anzac medal was something to celebrate. However, he emphasized that the focus should be on the team’s success. He argued that if the team had managed Pendlebury more strategically, allowing him to play 70-80 minutes of the game, he could have been on the field against Hawthorn.
Cornes also stated that Collingwood’s chances of winning the premiership depend on them winning at least two of their next three games against Hawthorn, Geelong, and Sydney. If they fail to do so, he believes the team will not secure the title.
Garry Lyon Criticizes Essendon’s Performance
Garry Lyon has been particularly critical of Essendon’s performance during the final quarter of the match. He described their display as “embarrassing,” suggesting that the Bombers players seemed to roll over and allow Pendlebury to take control of the game.
“In the last quarter, they just deferred to Collingwood and said: ‘Here, you guys make of this what you want to make of it. You want to celebrate Scott, we won’t go anywhere near him’,” Lyon said on AFL 360.
He added that it looked like Essendon was handing the game over to Collingwood, allowing Pendlebury to dominate without opposition. Lyon noted that the first half was a close contest, with Essendon still in the game. However, by the end of the match, they had effectively conceded the game.
Lyon pointed out that in the final quarter, Pendlebury was left alone in the middle of the ground, and it appeared as though Essendon was letting him have the moment. “That’s what it looked like, and that is a damning indictment on this footy club,” he said.
