The celebration surrounding Scott Pendlebury’s VFL/AFL record-breaking game this week has been overshadowed by the “circus” surrounding it, “and it’s not even his fault”.
Pendlebury this Saturday will play his 433rd game at AFL level, going past North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey’s previous high mark of 432.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Pendlebury’s record game overshadowed by commercial controversy
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
Collingwood deliberately orchestrated the management of Pendlebury to ensure he would break the record in front of a home crowd at the MCG, which in itself has drawn criticism, given the Magpies have narrowly lost the two games he has rested in the past three weeks.
But for as much on-field conjecture as the impending new record has caused, there has been just as much off-field drama.
During the match, Pendlebury will wear 12 special limited edition jumpers with a gold number 10 on the back and the names of every player he’s ever played with on the front. The jumpers will then be auctioned off after the game.
He also has special boots designed by his kids; there will be a commemorative coin to toss before the game; the AFL took out an ad in the Herald Sun on Wednesday to write an open letter to Pendlebury; and the official AFL Record has been renamed to The Scott Pendlebury for the week.
Pendlebury will receive 100 per cent of all revenue made from the memorabilia of his milestone.
Under the current CBA signed in 2023, players celebrating milestone matches of significance are entitled to 65 per cent of the revenue made from commercial memorabilia. The AFL has allowed special dispensation for Pendlebury to get 100.
“This has become a complete circus, and I’m not even sure it’s Scott Pendlebury’s fault,” Tom Morris said on Wednesday night’s edition of The Agenda Setters.
Nick Riewoldt said it’s a shame the controversy is beginning to overshadow what should be a rare celebration of one of the game’s greats.
“I’m sick of talking about it, to be honest,” Riewoldt said.
“The boots design by his kids, that’s what we should be talking about – the heartwarming aspect to this story, because it is an unbelievable achievement and we all recognise Pendles as one of the greats of the game.
“This should be a celebration, plain and simple – but it’s not. It just hasn’t been that.”
Morris added: “A lot of people will blame the media for this.
“I know people internally, the AFL and Collingwood, are saying this is the media’s fault for creating a circus.”
Stream The Agenda Setters live or watch anytime on-demand at 7plus
But Riewoldt said the blame rests with league headquarters.
“There’s the issue around the way Pendles has been managed and we’ve dealt with that,” he said.
“But once again, with respect to the way this game has been commercialised, it’s rules on the run – again from the AFL.
“What that’s done, I think it’s opened Scott up to ridicule and to criticism from other football fans. Not Collingwood; they’re not going to turn on him obviously.
“But other football fans and even other clubs to the point that people are saying that this is turning into a GoFundMe for Scott Pendlebury.
“When you have a salary cap, you can’t allow this, if you’re the AFL, to this extent. This is just rules on the run and a free-for-all.”
Morris said “clubs are saying the same things behind the scenes”.
“Senior officials at clubs can’t believe how this is being handled by league headquarters. ‘Another own goal’, one CEO told me today,” he added.
Geelong coach Chris Scott was asked about the situation at his weekly press conference on Wednesday.
“When I have thought more about the nuance of the soft cap and the salary cap, I’ve tended to get frustrated because some of it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Especially the bit that seems to be a bit more case by case,” he said.
Riewoldt said things could get even murkier if a very wealthy supporter of Pendlebury decides to pay an exorbitant amount for one of the jumpers, for example, which would go straight into the Collingwood champion’s pocket and essentially skew the balance of the salary cap.
“How are the AFL going to handle this? Because at the moment, it’s completely unclear. If a donor says, ‘You know what, one of those match-worn jumpers, I’m going to pay $1 million for it’, as like a golden handshake – what do the AFL do in that situation?” Riewoldt posed.
The AFL will audit all funds transferred to Pendlebury, but has put no cap on how much he can receive.
“That’s why it’s opened up the conversation that it has,” Riewolt said.
“On a week where we’re four days out, we should be celebrating one of the all-time great careers and all-time great people of football.”