Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
How Collingwood's veteran duo are able to maintain their evergreen nature
Nicholas Quinlan • April 26th, 2025 2:13 pm
Collingwood has been on a roll this season with their veteran presence helping keep them on top of the ladder.
Veterans like Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury this season have seemed to age as well as a full-bodied red wine as they enter the renaissance of their careers.
Yesterday was no exception with Sidebottom collecting 35 disposals and 15 clearances to win his second Anzac Day medal and became the third Magpie to do so.
Pendlebury would also manage 31 disposals and 433 metres gained as he started from the interchange bench.
The result on Anzac Day gave further credence to Healy’s view that the reaction to Collingwood’s Opening Round loss to GWS was misguided.
“I did an editorial during the week about being aware of overreactions,” Healy said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I’ve never seen a greater overreaction than Round Zero when the Pies got touched up.”
Healy would also reinforce his view that players are able to play for far longer than they used to.
“I think he finished up with 17 or 18 clearances (it was 15), clearly he was best on ground,”
“There was also a little paddle between the legs from Scott Pendlebury who just continues to amaze.
“I keep asking myself, is Scott going to be in their best 23 at the end of the season? Because they are coming for him.
“But he keeps on fighting back, he keeps on just delivering.
“He went right and went back left again in the forward 50 and just delivered the ball and they kicked a goal.
“The veterans were superb again last night.
“And world sport is telling us that 30 is the old 25...I’m not sure why we on putting ceilings on these guys and Steele ‘Sidey’ Sidebottom has jammed it up everybody again.”
Adelaide legend Mark Bickley would also add that Collingwood’s system has also helped their veterans.
“The other thing we can take from this is, when you have a team as well organised as what Collingwood are; when you play that structure defensive system that they have, you actually don’t have to work as hard,” Bickley noted.
“It’s not like the days when it was 1 on 1 and you got on a young bloke who was running you around, they could run you ragged.
“Now, they are so organised. They instruct each other so well and they are able to slow sides down.”
Collingwood will hope to continue their winning ways and cement their place on top of the ladder when they take on Geelong next Saturday at the MCG.
