MAGPIES HIT TOWN
Loyal Sidebottom backs Pendlebury in captain’s role at Collingwood
COLLINGWOOD star Steele Sidebottom believes that midfielder Scott Pendlebury still has plenty to offer the Magpies as their on-field captain.
Responding to speculation from Melbourne commentator Garry Lyon that it may be time for the Magpies to have a new captain, Sidebottom feels Pendlebury is the man to lead the club.
“I definitely expect Scott to be captain again this year,” Sidebottom said after a Collingwood pre-season training run yesterday at Wally Fankhauser Reserve where hundreds of Magpies fans lined up for autographs.
“Pendles does a great job and I wouldn’t see any changes in our captaincy, not only this year but for probably the next few years.”
Sidebottom is in the Collingwood leadership group and is revelling in conditions on the sunny Gold Coast as the Magpies go through a sixday camp here.
And he definitely prefers weather here than to the chills of Colorado where the Magpies have spent a number of high-altitude training camps in the past.
That practice now seems to be a thing of the past after a number of clubs, including the Gold Coast Suns, dumped the exercise.
“I’d much prefer to come here for a week than go over there,” Sidebottom said as he soaked up the sunshine.
“I’ve done three or four to Colorado and it’s the complete opposite to here.
“It’s freezing cold over there and obviously the idea was the high altitude training.
“Going over for three weeks, they probably put as much stuff as they could into you and maybe over 2½ weeks the blokes get a little bit sick of each other.
“But the week here is probably better.
“The idea behind it is to train in the heat and humidity, it’s obviously a bit different to Melbourne weather, so we’ll get three good days of training.
“We’ve done plenty of inside stuff, like game plans and stuff, it’s like a normal week but just off-site out of Melbourne.”
The best part of pre-season camps is the bonding between old and young players.
“Personally I love it when we get away,” Sidebottom said.
“The more time you spend together off the field I think it can only help on the field as well.”
As for Collingwood’s prospects this AFL premiership season after four years of missing finals action, Sidebottom feels the Magpies have been underachievers for too long.
“I believe we should have played finals but we haven’t,” he said.
“So we should be playing finals, that’s my opinion, and I’m sure that’s everyone else’s opinion.”