Source : ABC NEWS
Collingwood legend and AFL games record holder Scott Pendlebury will move to the Gold Coast Suns in 2027.
Pendlebury, who has played 442 games for the Magpies, will move to the Suns as an unrestricted free agent.
The contract is believed to be a multi-year agreement, where the 38-year-old will play a hybrid coaching and on-field role for two seasons, before moving into an assistant coach role for another two years.
Pendlebury’s manager Anthony Panozzo confirmed the move.
Pendlebury was not offered a new contract to continue his career at Collingwood.
The midfielder will leave the Magpies as one of the club’s greatest-ever players, having won two premierships, a Norm Smith medal and six All-Australian nods.
His role at the Suns is set to mimic former Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge’s 2018 move to the Brisbane Lions, where Hodge played two seasons as an on-field coach for a young Lions squad that has gone on to win two premierships from three grand final appearances.
The deal will be officially ticked off when the AFL’s free agency period begins on October 2.
Pendlebury was denied a finals farewell game in Collingwood’s wildcard loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night after straining his hamstring in the final game of the regular season.
