AFL
AAP 5y

Shattered Magpies vow to go again

AFL

Collingwood are vowing to use their AFL heartbreak to re-ignite a premiership push next season.

The Magpies fell five points short of the flag on Saturday, losing to West Coast despite leading for much of the match.

After seeing their opponents presented with premiership medals, club captain Scott Pendlebury summed up the mood of his club.

"I'm shattered mate," he said.

"The reason you get so shattered is you put it all on the line to want to get the ultimate.

"Grand finals are brutal. It just sucks to be on the wrong side of the result. We got so close.

"I'm proud of the whole group (but) it's going to hurt. It's basically a silent locker room at the moment."

The Magpies might have lost but the history books will see club treated very favourably given their incredible growth through 2018.

Collingwood improved dramatically after finishing 13th last season, and incredibly started the grand final as favourites.

They kicked the first five goals of the game but were reeled in by Adam Simpson's determined outfit.

Pendlebury said the nature of the defeat hit hard.

"It will burn guys," he said.

"Any time you get that close and it falls away in the last few minutes of the game it will burn. We'll use that to drive us over the summer."

If there was a chink of light shining through for the devastated midfielder, it's that this year's progress has Pendlebury confident in what's to come in 2019.

"I know we've got the players, I know we've got the game style," he said.

"I know this group will bounce back because it's what we do."

^ Back to Top ^