Scott Pendlebury will play for Gold Coast in 2027

.In a move which has been both forecast but will still come as a shock to Collingwood supporters, it’s understood the veteran has agreed to a four-year arrangement with the Suns.

Two of these years – at this stage – will be as a player. This timeline means he will be playing AFL football beyond the age of 40.

And the next two years will be as an assistant coach. The last AFL player to play at 40 was Dustin Fletcher. 

Pendlebury’s agent Anthony Panozzo from Hemisphere Management Group informed Collingwood football boss Charlie Gardiner in a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday of his player’s intention to join the Suns.

Though no contract had been offered at the Pies, club president Barry Carp said in recent weeks there would have been a deal on the table had Pendlebury wanted to play on.

Speaking on Wednesday at Marvel Stadium, Craig McRae said Pendlebury was a 50-50 chance to be at the club in 2027.

Speaking to 7NEWS on Saturday morning, Panozzo said the Suns interest had ramped up only in recent weeks.

“They have a young leadership group and Scott’s looking forward to adding experience and helping out in that capacity,” Panozzo said.

“He wanted to play on and we were not sure whether this would be at Collingwood or another club. The Pies have been fantastic around this situation. They’ve been so supportive.”

Panozzo said that although Pendlebury made the call to move this week, he remained entirely entrenched in the club’s finals campaign, despite being injured.

“He was committed to seeing that through and maybe even returning late in the piece,” he said.

“He was never going to go straight into coaching at Collingwood anyway. He wanted to test himself in a fresh environment and when I told Charlie Gardiner, he was terrific the way he responded.”

The 38-year-old is yet to tour Gold Coast’s facilities but will do so in the coming weeks. Panozzo was in Queensland in recent days meeting with football boss Craig Cameron and national recruiting manager Kall Burns.

Pendlebury played 442 games for Collingwood. 

On Saturday, he issued a statement, saying it had been an “incredible privilege” to be a Collingwood footballer for the past 21 years.

“From walking in the doors as a 17-year-old, to seeing the way everyone at the club has welcomed and embraced my family over all these years is something that is truly special,” Pendlebury said.  “I’ve spent the majority of my life here and so many of my best memories have come through being part of Collingwood. The friendships, the challenges, the successes and even the tough times have all shaped who I am. “The privilege of pulling on the Collingwood jumper has never been lost on me. I understand what this club means to so many people and I’ve always tried to represent it in a way that makes our Magpie Army proud. “This decision has not come lightly but I know this is the best thing for me and my family as I transition into the next phase of my football journey. “And while my next chapter won’t be in the black and white, it’s hard to put into words what the Collingwood Football Club means to me. To all my coaches, the staff and my teammates, thank you for everything. Collingwood has been such a significant part of my life and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to represent this great football club.”