Pivotal moment shows why Collingwood Magpies icon Scott Pendelbury is one in a million

PLAYING-coaches were thought to have been extinct in the VFL/AFL for 42 years.

Malcolm Blight and Alex Jesaulenko were officially the last two. And even with their status as all-time greats, their respective clubs – North Melbourne and St Kilda – within weeks of each other in the 1981 season, removed from their portfolios the coaching requirements.

Fast forward to 2023. There is evidence the playing-coach gene has been cloned, and it comes in the form of Scott Pendlebury.

Pendlebury, in game No.383, was among the very best players for…