Scott Pendlebury moment divides AFL world as Nick Daicos steals show in Collingwood win

Nick Daicos stole the show in Collingwood's thrilling win over Carlton and while all the attention was on the 21-year-old, Carlton fans were left questioning one of the last plays of the game from Scott Pendlebury. Daicos received the plaudits from AFL greats Garry Lyon and Jonathan Brown after breaking from the pack and scoring Collingwood's winner on Friday with 64 seconds left on the clock to hand the Magpies a 85-79 win at the MCG in front of 88,000 fans.

The attention was rightfully on the 21-year-old superstar after the game as scenes of his family celebrating the winner was shown around the AFL world. Although many fans have been left arguing over one of the final plays that saw Pendlebury kick to space off the bounce and the ball ran out of play.

Pendlebury gathered the ball of the bounce with just 58 seconds to go in the contest with Carlton needing to regather the ball to tie the game. And amid the chaos, Pendlebury took a step and kicked it towards the sideline with no Collingwood player remotely close to the ball.

The ball bounced a number of times before going out. "How was that not a free kick? He is coming out of the middle," Fox Footy commentator Luke Hodge said after the ball bounced out.

And fans have also been left questioning the final play. Pendlebury was quite simply outstanding against the Blues and was arguably player-of-the-match for many. But his final moment in the game has caused division with fans claiming since the ball bounced out with no one around it should have been a free kick for kicking it out with intent.

Others feel since it did bounce plenty of times it meant he did not mean to kick it all the way out, but rather find space and leave it in field as time ticked away on the clock. A free-kick could have been awarded to Carlton, which would have made for an enthralling few finals seconds to give them a chance of levelling the match.

Nick Daicos grows legacy after win against Carlton

Daicos was simply outstanding in the final quarter when his teammates needed a lift having had 10 possessions and two clearances. He finished the game with 32 touches and won the Richard Pratt Medal in the Peter Mac Cup for best afield. His goal at the end of the game left AFL greats speechless after his burst of acceleration afforded him space to sneak home the winner from an angle.

And the 21-year-old delivered a classy interview after the game when asked about his winner as he turned the attention on the defeated Blues team. "Credit to Carlton, these games always seem to go right down to the wire," Daicos told Channel Seven. He then was again about his winner, which he admitted was a great feeling in front of 88,000 raucous fans.

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"It was a good feeling," he said of the winning goal. "We missed a couple before it, so you start to get a little bit nervous and just lucky it went through." After the game, Lions great Brown claimed there were 'not many' players in the AFL that could have kicked that final goal to give Collingwood the win. Lyon was also full of praise for Daicos' burgeoning legacy.

"The legend is growing right before our eyes," Lyon said of Daicos. Collingwood coach Craig McRae was worried his team would finish with a second draw in two rounds, before Daicos' moment of magic.

"For 10, 15 minutes there, it was down our end and we just couldn't execute," McRae said after the match. "If it was a draw we probably would've had a little bit sour taste in the mouth. For parts of the game we were the better team."