Cornes: Pendles Suns deal “perfectly scripted for Collingwood”

Scott Pendlebury’s bombshell defection to the Gold Coast Suns could not have been scripted any better for Collingwood, according to Kane Cornes.

Debate and speculation over the AFL games record holder’s future has been rife all year with some predicting he would retire, others expecting a one-year deal from the Pies and the minority predicting he would go to another club.

The morning after Collingwood’s 2026 season came to an end against the Bulldogs, Pendlebury’s agent confirmed to SEN that his client had secured a four-year player-coach deal with the Suns.

On Fireball Friday, Kane Cornes and co-host David King debated who would be the one to “shoot Bambi” when it came to pulling the pin on Pendlbury’s career with the co-hosts both agreeing it was time for the Pies to move on.

The events of the weekend then evolved perfectly for Collingwood.

“This is perfect for Collingwood,” Cornes said on Fireball Monday. “Absolutely perfect. This couldn’t have worked out better for them.

“You make it look like it’s his call when I don’t think many of them wanted him to play on.

“He’s now essentially the bad guy a little bit, not the club.

“You’ve moved him on when you needed to. They way this played out, Collingwood couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

For David King meanwhile, he was impressed by the Suns’ creativity.

“Probably lucky with the size of the offer from GC, that’s done the job,” King said.

“They have got a coach. It’s incredibly difficult for interstate teams to get quality assistant coaches. They have found a way; they have to pay overs and they have to get creative. I like this.

“Soft cap is too small and the AFL refuse to correct it, so you have to pay a price somewhere.

“Is it winners all round? I still like the club being in full control of decisions saying, ‘Hey Scott this is how it is, you wanted honesty for 20 years, and we’ve given you it for 19, when we think it’s the end we need to be able to say he mate this is the end’.

“You have to be honest, if you are you can hold your head high.”