From ‘Buddy’ to Gawn: The top 10 players of the Pendlebury era

May 21, 2026 — 5:40am

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When Scott Pendlebury was drafted from Gippsland, 21 years ago, I spoke to an official from a rival club to get his unvarnished thoughts on the draft, and how particular clubs had fared.

“Collingwood were terrible,” he said.

It was an assessment that proved as off the mark as the calls to sack Mark Thompson as Geelong coach in Pendlebury’s first season.

The Magpies, as we know, selected a pair of Gippsland kids named (Dale) Thomas and Pendlebury at picks No.2 and No.5, harvesting the maximum return from a descent down the ladder and the generous rules that awarded a priority pick (No.2) for teams that won five games or less, and incentivised teams to tank.

Pendlebury’s career has reflected his distinctive style of play, in that his impact was not as obvious as, say, “Buddy” Franklin’s or “Dusty” Martin’s. He was a stealthy weapon who shredded the opposition with deft changes of direction and smarts.

If he were a tennis player, you would say that he was playing a whole point, not just shots; he could see the whole field.

Today, he stands as one of a very small group of footballers in the current competition who, one day in the future, will (surely) be ordained as an official Legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Amid the deluge of tributes, praise and financial benefits, it’s worth considering where Pendlebury’s incomplete innings ranks in the AFL’s pantheon, over the course of his career.

He began in 2006, when West Coast and Sydney were the........

© Brisbane Times