Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury has stepped down as captain after nine years in the job.
He informed his teammates at a training session on Monday morning.
Pendlebury, who has played a club-record 358 games, and captained the Magpies on 206 occasions, said his role would now be to “support the next captain of our club”.
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“To captain an AFL club is one of the greatest honours and it is not something I have ever taken for granted,” Pendlebury said.
“It has been an absolute privilege to lead this side for as long as I have. At 34 years of age and in the twilight of my career, I felt that this is the optimal time to hand over the position and support the next captain of our club.
“I have experienced all the great football highs and lows throughout my nine-year tenure as captain and I look forward to seeing the next person take the opportunity and make it their own.”
Pendlebury won the grand final’s Norm Smith Medal in 2010 and is a five-time All Australian. He also won the AFLPA Best Captain award in 2020 and 2022.
He became captain ahead of the 2014 season, replacing Nick Maxwell.
In a statement, the club said they would “soon put in place the process to appoint its 48th AFL captain”.
They said they would make the announcement some time in the new year.
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