Pendlebury, who had 34 disposals, 10 marks and booted three goals, was best afield for both Mick Malthouse and James Hird. The vice captain has now polled 23 votes from three matches to sit seventh on the AFLCA leaderboard.
Running defender and 2007 ANZAC medallist Heath Shaw was next best for the Pies polling four votes from one head coach and not featuring in the other’s top five. The 25-year-old had 28 possessions and took nine marks.
Reborn defender Leon Davis caught the eye of one coach, polling three for the game while teammates Darren Jolly and Travis Cloke both polled two votes.
Essendon’s Dyson Heppell (seven) and Stewart Crameri (two) featured in the voting for the opposition.
Collingwood’s Dane Swan sits in a tie at the top of the leaderboard with 27 votes alongside Marc Murphy (Carlton) and Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs).
Past winners of the prestigious award include Dane Swan (2010), Gary Ablett Jnr (2007-09), Simon Goodwin and Adam Goodes (joint winners in 2006), Barry Hall (2005) and Warren Tredrea (2004).
Essendon v Collingwood voting
| Votes | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Scott Pendlebury | Coll |
| 7 | Dyson Heppell | Ess |
| 4 | Heath Shaw | Coll |
| 3 | Leon Davis | Coll |
| 2 | Travis Cloke | Coll |
| 2 | Darren Jolly | Coll |
| 2 | Stewart Crameri | Ess |
Collingwood leader board for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year (number of matches the player polled)
| Votes | Player |
|---|---|
| 27 | Dane Swan (3) |
| 23 | Scott Pendlebury (3) |
| 15 | Chris Dawes (2) |
| 13 | Heath Shaw (2) |
| 9 | Jarryd Blair (1) |
| 8 | Ben Johnson (2) |
| 8 | Dale Thomas (1) |
| 8 | Travis Cloke (4) |
| 4 | Dayne Beams (1) |
| 3 | Leon Davis (1) |
| 2 | Darren Jolly (1) |
| 1 | Harry O'Brien (1) |
Leader board for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year
| Votes | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Dane Swan | Collingwood |
| 27 | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs |
| 27 | Marc Murphy | Carlton |
| 25 | Chris Judd | Carlton |
| 25 | Brent Moloney | Melbourne |
| 24 | Jobe Watson | Essendon |
| 23 | Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood |
| 22 | Dean Cox | West Coast |
| 21 | Matthew Pavlich | Fremantle |
| 19 | Lance Franklin | Hawthorn |
