There are plenty of talking points after Round 8 of the AFL, including whether Scott Pendlebury deserves a statue at the MCG — soon! — and if it’s time to scrap draws from the regular season.
Let’s get to this week’s overreactions column, where we judge the biggest takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
Scott Pendlebury deserves a statue at the MCG
On Saturday evening, Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury will take to the field for a record-equaling 432nd AFL game. It’s a mark that was set by North Melbourne’s Brent Harvey a decade earlier, and even back then, there were some who suggested Pendlebury could be in contention to chase it down.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Statues at the MCG are reserved for the greatest of greats. The titans of their respective sports, if you will. Whether you love or loathe the Magpies, Pendlebury certainly falls into this category.
Not only is he days away from tying and then breaking the league’s games record, the 38-year-old also has a stranglehold on the MCG games record. Saturday evening’s clash against Geelong will be Pendlebury’s 273rd game at the home of football. For context, that’s more games than Robbie Gray, Ben Cousins, Matthew Lloyd, and Jason Dunstall each played in their entire careers!
The next player on the ‘most games at the MCG’ list is Pendlebury’s current teammate Steele Sidebottom at 229. Kevin Bartlett is the only other player in league history to crack the 200-game barrier. It’s not inconceivable that this Pendlebury record stands the test of time.
Not only does Pendlebury fully deserve a statue at the MCG, I’m convinced the AFL has missed a trick in not preparing one to be unveiled on Saturday night, or for the record-breaker against (what we assume will be) West Coast.
Just imagine that for a minute. A crowd of 90,000+ cheering on their hero and an icon of the sport as he’s immortalised in bronze. Look, I’m sure Pendlebury will eventually get one, but this could have been such a special moment for him, the club, and the league; far better than having two men and a dog in attendance for an unveiling when he’s grey haired and somewhat forgotten in 25 years time.
— Jake Michaels
The AFL should finally bring extra time into the home-and-away season
Last Thursday, Collingwood and Hawthorn played out an enthralling draw at the MCG, with Dylan Moore’s goal after the siren tying the scores to force both sides to share two premiership points. It’s reignited the annual debate: should the AFL introduce extra time in the home-and-away season, just like it does in finals?
Verdict: Overreaction
Keep the draw. Seriously. Footy is played over four quarters and stretches to more than two hours. If you’re not good enough to win in that time, bad luck. Shake hands, take your two points each, live in footy purgatory, and move on.
A draw is a legitimate result, not a problem that needs fixing. And let’s be honest here, draws are rare anyway. We’re eight rounds in and have only just seen the first one. It might not even happen again this season. This isn’t some widespread issue that needs urgent attention. If anything, the rarity is what makes it special.
It also adds an interesting factor to the ladder, especially late in the season. Those extra two points split between teams can have huge implications, and that unpredictability only adds to why we all love the game.
Then there’s the theatre of it. Close games with a draw looming are some of the most tense, tactical moments in footy. One team is desperately trying to steal a win, the other clinging on for dear life. Introduce extra time, and you risk dulling the finish entirely. Why would players take risks with a few minutes remaining if they know they’ll just reset and go again? You could easily see teams slow the game down, chip it around, and play for extra time, and that’s not nearly as compelling as what we currently have.
Finals are different, you need a result, and that’s when extra time makes sense. But in the home-and-away season? The draw belongs and it always should.
— Jarryd Barca
