‘Are we mature enough?’: Scott Pendlebury’s main concern with AFL mid-season trade period

Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury is a big fan of a mid-season trade period, but wonders if the AFL industry is “mature enough” for it at this stage.

It comes following the tumultuous week in the spotlight suffered by West Coast’s Oscar Allen, who was spotted having a public meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.

The AFL came close to implementing a mid-season trade period for the 2025 season, but baulked late after push back from non-Victorian clubs.

“I’m all for [mid-season trade period],” Pendlebury told 9News Melbourne.

“Are we mature enough? Good question.

“I don’t know if we’re mature enough as an industry. Looking at the Oscar Allen stuff that happened, we can ask ‘are we mature enough with how we handled that’.

“I do think it will come in with time, the mid-season trade period. It’s matter of when, not if. It just adds to the competition. Clubs could potentially rejuvenate their list quicker.

“The thing that we’ve got is a hard salary cap. It’s not like teams can pay over the cap to bring guys in, guys would need to accept unders or overs or whatever it is to move.

“I like it, I think it keeps the game in the media a fair bit, projecting what could happen, you could imagine the ideas spinning around, I’m a big fan of it.”

Pendlebury believes all clubs should be doing what they can to lure star talent and has no issue with the Allen situation on either side of the fence.

“It’s come a long way since I started,” the former Magpies skipper said.

“My overarching thing on this is it’s happening everywhere. It’s not like Oscar Allen is the only one talking to Sam Mitchell.

“I’m assuming if he’s a free agent or if you’re one or two years out, clubs are looking at you, they’re talking to you, they’re touching base with your management.

“Maybe as an industry we’re all a bit shocked that it was seen, but we’re not naïve surely to think that it’s not happening. I’ve spoken to players from other clubs my whole career when they’re one, two or three years, trying to get the conversation started.

“That’s just the nature of the industry we’re in and to be honest you just want to be the club doing it the best because you’re bringing talent to your club and the aim is to win premierships and you need talent to do that.”