Bombers dump McKay; McRae hits back at ‘selfish’ Pendlebury claims

Updated May 7, 2026 — 3:36pm,first published 2:35pm

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In today’s AFL briefing:

Essendon have demoted Ben McKay, with the highly paid key defender having been in a form slump for much of the year.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae says Scott Pendlebury is struggling with the attention of his looming record-breaking match.

Bombers drop struggling defender McKay

Sam McClure

Out-of-form Essendon defender Ben McKay will line up for the Bombers’ VFL team this weekend after being dropped by coach Brad Scott.

Two industry sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of team selection, said the Bombers had finally decided to swing the axe and demote McKay.

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The highly paid key defender has been in a form slump for much of the year and has even been the subject of boos by his own fans.

Mason Redman, who played in the VFL, is expected to make his return to the senior side to take on GWS on Saturday.

McKay, who has failed to find his best form since his highly anticipated move from North Melbourne at the end of 2023, was at times booed by his own fans in the Bombers’ heavy defeat to the Brisbane Lions last week, which prompted legendary Lions coach Leigh Matthews to defend him.

“It’s bad enough to get booed by the opposition. But getting booed by your own supporters, I reckon that is off,” Matthews told Fox Footy.

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“It’s a really ugly thing from the Essendon supporters. Ben McKay had a bad game, but he didn’t deserve that.”

Scott took a slightly more pragmatic approach after the game.

“You don’t like it,” Scott said.

“It’s an abnormal footy environment. But that’s going to happen, and it’s happened at other clubs, it’s happened to other players, and you’ve got to fight through it.”

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Scott had defended the 28-year-old against calls for him to be dumped after a poor performance on Anzac Day in which he applauded a teammate’s spoil unaware the ball was still in play and resulted in a goal to Collingwood.

McKay kept his Lions opponent, debutant Cody Curtin, goalless but had little impact on the game, collecting just five possessions.

It was the fifth time in eight games this season where he finished with a single-digit disposal tally.

“Well, I mean, he played on an opponent, he didn’t kick a goal,” Scott said after the loss to the Lions.

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“I mean, he did his job, from that perspective.

“I said during the week, there’s no point trying to shield guys away from the pressure cooker that AFL footy is, and so we’re working with him.”

Scott and his Bombers head to Sydney in desperate need of a win, sitting equal last on the ladder with fellow Victorian powerhouses Carlton and Richmond.

Despite President Andrew Welsh recently telling this masthead he hoped Scott would be the Bombers’ “next premiership coach,” Scott is under mounting pressure to keep his job beyond this season unless he can turn the team’s defensive woes around.

They’ve lost six of their last eight to the Giants and haven’t actually beaten the Giants in Sydney since 2018; a day when Jake Stringer kicked three and David Zaharakis was best on ground.

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Curnow injury opens door for forgotten Swans forward

Jonathan Drennan

Star forward Charlie Curnow’s omission from the Swans team to face North Melbourne on Saturday has opened the door for Hayden McLean to make his first AFL appearance this season.

Curnow has played all eight of the Swans’ games this year, but misses out against the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium due to an abdominal strain.

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Curnow did not train on Wednesday at the SCG, but Swans coach Dean Cox said the spearhead’s injury was not serious and hoped he would be available next Friday against Collingwood.

Curnow kicked one goal but was limited to eight disposals in last Sunday’s win over Melbourne in Sydney.

McLean played 19 games for the Swans last year, kicking 25 goals. But he has fallen out of favour this season, with Cox preferring Logan McDonald. Cox credited McLean’s attitude after spending the start of this season in the VFL.

“He’s been really good through the whole process of not playing, as hard as it is to tell him each week that he’s not going to be in the team,” Cox said.

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“The thing that he’s done really well is to go back to VFL and perform the way we want him to, which is being a really strong focal point ahead of the ball.

“He can also be second ruck when he has to and compete and provide options for his teammates. He’s done that, and that’s why he gets the opportunity now Charlie’s not there.”

Another tall forward, Joel Amartey, is averaging 2.5 goals per game and is off contract at the end of this season. Cox is confident Amartey wants to stay at the Swans after being drafted as a rookie ahead of the 2018 season.

“We’re in constant dialogue with Joel about that [contract] – he loves Sydney, he loves the club, he loves the boys, [and] he loves playing here,” Cox said.

“Now it’s just about working through that next process. We want Joel, he understands that, and he’s a really important part of our team.

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“I suppose his development over the eight years he’s been at the football club, coming through injury, he’s really improved as a footballer probably last year and this year and it’s a credit to him.

“We’ve just got to make sure we can both sit down and get as happy as we possibly can and get it done.”

Star midfielder Errol Gulden took part in selected non-contact training on Wednesday, including a kicking drill at the SCG as he recovers from shoulder surgery. Although pleased with Gulden’s progress and fitness, Cox said his return date would be determined by medical staff.

“He’s going really well, [as for being] ahead of schedule; that’ll be determined by meeting with the surgeon, nothing can move forward until then, so that’s in a few weeks,” Cox said.

‘Living legend’: McRae hits back at ‘selfish’ claims over Pendlebury record

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AAP

Collingwood coach Craig McRae has described Scott Pendlebury as the “least selfish” person at the club, saying the veteran is struggling with the attention of his looming record-breaking match.

Pendlebury will equal Brent Harvey’s mark for most games of 432 in VFL/AFL history when he returns for the Magpies’ clash with Geelong at the MCG on Saturday night.

The 38-year-old will then rest for Collingwood’s trip to face Sydney at the SCG, before breaking the North Melbourne champion’s 10-year-old record against West Coast in round 11.

“We’ve got a deliberate plan; Pendles hasn’t played too many five-day breaks in his history,” McRae said on Thursday.

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“That’s been reported around being selfish, I would have thought Pendles is probably the least selfish person in our team.

“But he wouldn’t have played last week, he wasn’t in a position to play physically.”

McRae insists Pendlebury deserves all the attention that comes his way after a glittering career that started back in 2006.

“He’s about to break the games record, that’s so significant in our game,” he said.

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“We’ll continue to celebrate this incredible player within our building, and not walk past it. You don’t get to have legends, actually a living legend in your building.

“What he’s currently doing is quite remarkable. We’re all seeing that we don’t want to walk past that.”

In his record-breaking match, Pendlebury is expected to wear a gold number on his jumper to mark the occasion.

The reports prompted derision from rival fans and even 1990 Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw.

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“If we’re just considering that someone’s bigger than the team for that one day, can’t we celebrate one person?” McRae said.

“It doesn’t mean he’s going to play outside the rules, doesn’t mean he’s going to play different to our game plan. It doesn’t mean the team’s going to just try to give him the ball all the time.

“If it’s a jumper with a different colour, we’re probably reading a bit too much into it.”

Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill had been training strongly and pressing his case for a return to the senior team following strong performances in the VFL.

But McRae insists Hill needs to further convince coaches he is ready for an AFL return.

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“He didn’t play a full game last weekend, as much as we like what he’s doing on the field,” McRae said.

“He’s still got a lot of work to do. This is a long time that he’s been out of the game. He’s working towards that again.

“Some of it’s performance, some of it’s around his ability to get through a full game, which he’s not quite doing.”

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More:

AFL 2026

Essendon Bombers

Collingwood Magpies

Sydney Swans

AFL injury ward

Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.

Jonathan Drennan is a sports reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald.

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