Help me understand S Pendlebury

[Angelus512]

Loved SP last year and the year before that perhaps even more. This is a bit of a weird thread but I noticed Pendlebury way more last year and the year before that probably even more so.

This year I notice everybody always says great things about SP and he usually ends up getting 2nd placed votes as our most influential etc.

But honestly whats wrong with me? I'll admit i'm in Shanghai and I watch it on TV but I've always done so. Why am I just not noticing him so much? I even notice Daisy more....
Seriously from my point of view yeah I see him do his great things but he just seems way more subdued this year and definitely not moving the length of the ground as much as he used to. Its more like dash his 10-15 metres and then pass off.

Dont notice the matrix flair as much as I did in the past and he seems to be involved inf ar smaller passages of play. Is it because he's in/under now?

 

[Pie eyed]

We have more mids playing well.
Ball, Wellers, Daisy, Dids and now even Blair putting the hand up.

Just more to notice so Pendles Matrix's into the background a little.

 

[Thommo 42]

he's not as inside as he was before Ball arrived, still playing well.

Nowhere near as influential as he was in the first 10 rounds of 2009, but he's trending up this year.

 

[mattys123]

He definitely started 2010 slower, with the obvious reason being the broken leg he had in the finals last year, and the lack of a real pre season.

He still has the metal rod in his leg, and it just looked like he was lacking any real condition early in the season.

His last 4-5 matches have been the "old Pendles" though, clean, evasive, and back to his best.

Getting "right" just in time.

 

[mdc]

What Thommo said, though it's first 11 rounds, not 10 iirc.

Through that period last year, he was one of the best 5 mids in the AFL imo, and leading our B&F. This year with Ball (and earlier O'Bree as well) there he hasn't found the same consistently brilliant form, but he's still been superb at times.

As for the matrix stuff, teams are just watching him a lot closer than they were before. Same thing happened to Dal Santo (though he was never as good a player).

 

[Angelus512]

He serious needs to shave the mustache though.....thats just ungodly.

 

[TradeDraft]

He definitely started 2010 slower, with the obvious reason being the broken leg he had in the finals last year, and the lack of a real pre season.

He still has the metal rod in his leg, and it just looked like he was lacking any real condition early in the season.

His last 4-5 matches have been the "old Pendles" though, clean, evasive, and back to his best.

Getting "right" just in time.

Spot On - His 1st Half he did start slow but that could been because of a Broken Leg he had but yeah last night he was fantastic and his 3rd QTR was Amazing how he got through the Port Mids without getting toug.

The Matrix is back

 

[Dawson]

I think he has the occasional toug TD

 

[mattys123]

He serious needs to shave the mustache though.....thats just ungodly.

It will go when Barham and Cook go (which is soon).

 

[Soul_Pie]

A lot of teams are paying very close attention to him this year as well., he's just so good with ball in hand that oppositions have to take notice of him.

Some of the stuff he did last night was just pure silk.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Thought he was in the top three for BOG for us last night, so I'm not overly concerned. He's just an outstanding accumulator, and uses it exceptionally well. His overhead contested marking has improved this year too, it was excellent, it's now exceptional.

 

[rose jam]

. His overhead contested marking has improved this year too, it was excellent, it's now exceptional.

Yeah, this has been really strong the last month, and he's also using his height to control the bouncing ball in the stoppages. There were 2 times last night when he took the ball out of the congestion because of his height and gave off super handballs.
Also his set shot kicking looks to be back where it was in the early days

 

[Jabso]

I thought he was brilliant last night. He is still underrated and taken for granted. He averages 25+, gets contested footy including first possesions and clearances and gets it out to the right person more often that 90% of AFL footballers do. Perhaps it's just the way he makes things look easy.

What's improved the most is his urgency in going forward and his kicking. He always had the ability but never really tried to spot up a target from a long way away. Now he does consistantly.

I think he is a much better player than he was last year.

 

[Pies_10]

Dunno why as he is 2nd only to Swan in possessions this year, has 11 goals which is as much as Swan and Thomas, also only 2nd to Ball in Tackles and Clearances.
Also was fantastic last night.

 

[pendles]

He puts everyone in a happy place.

 

[mattys123]

Has anyone heard/seen the incident Pendles is in trouble for?

I didn't see it last night, haven't seen it on the replay, and have no clue what some people are on about (mainly on NicksBB).

 

[mdc]

He puts everyone in a happy place.

Yup.

It's not a concept that's as widely understood in footy as it is, say, in basketball or soccer, which is why I've found people with backgrounds in those sports tend to rate Pendles a bit higher. Might just be my experience though.

 

[TradeDraft]

Has anyone heard/seen the incident Pendles is in trouble for?

I didn't see it last night, haven't seen it on the replay, and have no clue what some people are on about (mainly on NicksBB).

It's in the Cloke Thread

 

[THATSGOLD]

i have noticed he has played well in the last few games.. maybe you need to open your eyes wider.

i commented in the nab cup that he looked a little bulky probably a result of the leg injury.. but i think he has lost that as the season has progressed and is looking trim and terriffic.
He is playing some nice, side step, weaving, pendles footy again.

 

[TradeDraft]

i have noticed he has played well in the last few games.. maybe you need to open your eyes wider.

i commented in the nab cup that he looked a little bulky probably a result of the leg injury.. but i think he has lost that as the season has progressed and is looking trim and terriffic.
He is playing some nice, side step, weaving, pendles footy again.

Also Early on Pendles was not playing as a Midfielder he was more a HFF and once he has gone back to the Midfield he has got a lot better

 

[OniAu]

I thought he was brilliant last night. He is still underrated and taken for granted. He averages 25+, gets contested footy including first possesions and clearances and gets it out to the right person more often that 90% of AFL footballers do. Perhaps it's just the way he makes things look easy.

What's improved the most is his urgency in going forward and his kicking. He always had the ability but never really tried to spot up a target from a long way away. Now he does consistantly.

I think he is a much better player than he was last year.

all this ^

why do players have to be flashy and in your face to be considered playing well.

leon is ranked 1 for tackles inside 50 this season in the afl iirc and he still gets no credit for the work he does because he isnt kicking the usual freakish goals he does.

pendles isnt a no frills afl player, he is far from that. However the work he does is as important as anyone else on our list.

see the finals last year and our last game of the season last year, no pendles and we were struggling around the clearances.

 

[loki04]

Pendles has been playing well BUT he could be far more damaging with his disposal going forward.

 

[Angelus512]

Dunno why as he is 2nd only to Swan in possessions this year, has 11 goals which is as much as Swan and Thomas, also only 2nd to Ball in Tackles and Clearances.
Also was fantastic last night.

Wow. Had no idea he was up there in terms of posessions relative to Swan like that. I guess one reason he's not so easy to notice is I don't find he does much of a dash or run like Swan, Thomas, Beams and to a lesser extent Wellingham.

I tend to find pendlebury gets the ball, does good things but doesn't exactly travel far with it personally. I'm probably totally wrong but its just what i feel thinking about this year so far.

 

[Kirby]

I think he is an incredible player and to my mind he is in the elite class of midfielders in the AFL.

His third quarter last night was special!!

 

[danielnajdek]

Has anyone heard/seen the incident Pendles is in trouble for?

I didn't see it last night, haven't seen it on the replay, and have no clue what some people are on about (mainly on NicksBB).

i remember the incident. pendles turned his body and his hip made contact with the port players head. not much in it tbh.

cloke and jack definitely wont be playing next week. stupid acts by both.