'Prickly' rival clubs privately seething over Scott Pendlebury's looming $100k payday from record-breaking game

Tension appears to be rising in AFL club land over a big payday coming the way of record-breaking Collingwood superstar Scott Pendlebury.

The 38-year-old will next week become the game's V/AFL games record holder when he runs out for a 433rd time as the Magpies take on West Coast at the MCG.

He will surpass North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey as the sport's most prolific professional player.

READ MORE: Voss quits as Blues coach after disastrous run of losses

READ MORE: Smith's huge DCE, Walsh calls as icon names Maroons team

READ MORE: 'Not a charity': Gus, Bracey square off over Bears plan

And while the game will roundly celebrate the Pies icon, there is one aspect of his milestone game that is reportedly causing angst among rival clubs.

Leading reporter Damien Barrett believes some clubs are questioning the AFL's decision to allow Pendlebury to pocket 100 per cent of the profits earned from selling Collingwood jerseys with a gold No.10 on the back.

Pendlebury is set to don the special guernsey during the game, and replicas will be sold to fans by Collingwood and the AFL.

While the club and head office would typically keep most, or all, of profits from such commemorative merchandise, the AFL this week agreed to allow Pendlebury to keep the proceeds himself. There have been reports he plans to donate a large chunk of the money to a kids cancer foundation.

"Scott breaking the all-time games record is an extraordinary milestone in the history of the competition, one that Collingwood and the AFL industry will appropriately acknowledge and celebrate," said an AFL statement to Barrett.

"Any commercial arrangement between parties around the celebration remains confidential."

On Nine's Footy Classified on Monday night, Barrett revealed Pendlebury plans to wear a number of gold No.10 jerseys during the game which he can later sell, or auction off, as match-worn jumpers.

And while no rival club is likely to go on the record about it, the journalist says there are plenty of people unhappy that Pendlebury stands to make serious money off the AFL's decision to let him profit from the occasion.

"He will wear up to eight jumpers over the course of the game, possibly more, for his own keep reasons and for his own on-sell reasons," Barrett said.

"I know what clubs can be like when they talk privately compared to publicly... it's a special exemption and I reckon there will be some questions asked, at least internally, around what was this and is there a link at all to Scott Pendlebury's wage from Collingwood this year, knowing that this moment was coming... and the special dispensation for him to make, I'd say at a minimum, $100,000 out of this.

"The jumpers will be sold and distributed - not the ones he wears during the game itself - but money is being made from the gold No.10."

The money will be handed to Pendlebury outside his Collingwood contract, which is what counts on the club's salary cap. Rival clubs may be asking whether Pendlebury accepted a lower salary - allowing the Magpies to spend extra money elsewhere - due to the promise he would pocket a sizeable bonus off his milestone game.

Fellow journalist Sam McClure pointed out "clubs do get very prickly when they hear about money being earned outside the salary cap".

But Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd snapped back at the conversation, questioning why such a negative spin would be placed on the historic occasion.

"I think too much is being made of it, in a negative way," Lloyd said.

"We should just be celebrating this.

"Whether he wears gold, he is an absolutely professional, Collingwood is a big club (and) this is something we will probably never see again."

The Magpies have controversially rested Pendlebury for this week's game against ladder-leading Sydney in order for him to play his record game against the lowly Eagles in round 11.