North Melbourne Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson envious of Collingwood Magpies’ MCG fixture ‘gifts’
It’s in stark contrast to Collingwood, whose huge crowd-pulling power means they are often scheduled to play at the MCG and rarely have to travel interstate compared to other sides.
In Collingwood’s fixture this year, 14 of their 23 games are at the MCG, and they only have six interstate games – one of which was for Gather Round.
The MCG on Anzac Day 2025.Credit: Getty
It’s no wonder Pendlebury had a chuckle with North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson when they crossed paths recently.
“It’s funny. I ran into Scotty Pendlebury, I was on the same plane when I came back from the Hall of Fame on Wednesday,” Clarkson said.
Loading
“Anyway, he was laughing about the amount that we’ve had to travel, compared to the gifts that they get playing at the MCG on a regular basis.
“I’d like to be like the Pies and just play at the MCG most weeks.
“But the Collingwood side are able to generate their revenue from their crowds and their opportunities.
“They get to play at the MCG and North aren’t in that position at this current time. So we need to get on the road and play our games [in] Tassie, [or] in this case WA.
