JUST a day after breaking Collingwood's all-time games record and leading his side for a club-high 162nd match as skipper, Scott Pendlebury has been named the AFL Players' Association Best Captain for season 2020.
Into his seventh season as the club's captain, the premiership player, Norm Smith Medal winner, six-time All Australian and five-time best and fairest winner has enjoyed another immaculate season in Magpies colours.
He now has an AFLPA Best Captain award to add to his impressive collection of accolades, becoming just the second Collingwood player behind Tony Shaw in 1990 to claim the honour.
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"The aura around Pendles as a person is quite different to what some might expect, but the biggest thing that stood out to me upon meeting him for the first time was how much of a genuine and caring guy he is," the club's vice-captain Taylor Adams said.
"Pendles is incredibly confident in his own ability as a player, but he also treats everyone equally – from our President Eddie McGuire to the newest draftee – everyone is part of the club.
"One of the biggest things that stands out about his leadership qualities is that he's egoless. He works hard to support and nurture those at our club and he's an approachable and caring leader."
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In other AFLPA awards handed out on Tuesday night, Sydney co-captain Dane Rampe claimed the Robert Rose Most Courageous Player after a campaign in which he played four games with a fractured hand.
Rampe joins an impressive collection of Swans players to have claimed the award, following in the footsteps of five-time winner Paul Kelly, two-time winner Luke Parker and one-time winner Brett Kirk.
Meanwhile, Fremantle youngster Caleb Serong was voted the League's Best First-Year player after a sensational campaign that followed his recruitment to the club with pick No.8 in last year's NAB AFL Draft.
Serong played 14 senior games this season to claim the award, joining Rhys Palmer and Michael Barlow as the only other Dockers to receive the honour.
The AFLPA voting is conducted via a two-stage process, where each player in the competition nominates a teammate for the Most Courageous Player and Best First-Year Player honour. Each club skipper is automatically nominated for the Best Captain.
All players then vote on a 3-2-1 basis from the nominees of the 17 other clubs, with the votes tallied to decide the winner.
Best Captain
116 votes: Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
98 votes: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
90 votes: Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)
54 votes: Joel Selwood (Geelong)
51 votes: Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
Robert Rose Most Courageous Player
113 votes: Dane Rampe (Sydney)
95 votes: Jack Steele (St Kilda)
89 votes: Jack Viney (Melbourne)
61 votes: Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)
47 votes: Liam Duggan (West Coast)
Best First-Year Player
340 votes: Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
158 votes: Noah Anderson (Gold Coast)
47 votes: Will Day (Hawthorn)
30 votes: Lachie Ash (Greater Western Sydney)
22 votes: Mitch Georgiades (Port Adelaide)
