Steele Sidebottom Biography

Steele Sidebottom will be sidelined for at least six weeks after suffering a medial collateral ligament sprain in his 300th game against North Melbourne.

Steele Sidebottom will play his 300th AFL game this week, becoming the fourth Collingwood player to reach this milestone.

Collingwood has named a leadership group for the 2021 season with Darcy Moore being the newest addition.

Scott Pendlebury, 33, will captain the Magpies for an eighth consecutive season and will build on his current record for most games as club captain (149) in 2021.

Brodie Grundy, Jordan Roughead, Steele Sidebottom, Taylor Adams and Jeremy Howe round out the Magpies seven-man leadership group, with the latter three serving as vice-captains.

Steele Sidebottom won't play any part in the Pies' final campaign after the complexity of quarantine and finals fixturing made his planned trip north too difficult.

Sidebottom's partner Alisha gave birth to their daughter Matilda last Saturday night and coach Nathan Buckley told reporters on Saturday morning that the three of them had planned to rejoin the Magpies in Queensland.

But only a few hours later, those plans were called off after discussions with the AFL and Queensland authorities revealed the full extent of the logistical complexities involved.

Steele Sidebottom will seek to be available for Collingwood's finals series, following the weekend birth of daughter Matilda.

Sidebottom will need to quarantine in Queensland for 14 days before being able to train and play with his Magpies teammates.

Steele Sidebottom will leave the Magpies' Queensland hub to join his partner for the impending birth of their first child.

Following this decision, Sidebottom may not play again in 2020 after Collingwood's Monday night's game against North Melbourne.

Steele Sidebottom apologises for his recent bout of public drunkenness and breach of the AFL's strict COVID-19 protocols during a meeting with Collingwood's leadership group and senior football department.

"At the meeting, Steele formally apologised his to his teammates, football staff and the broader club. He also apologised to Collingwood members," a statement from Collingwood said.

"Further, Steele agreed to complete a responsible consumption of alcohol course and to commit time in the service of a charitable or community organisation over the next 12 months."

Steele Sidebottom is hit with a hefty four-match ban for breaching the League's COVID-19 protocols.

Sidebottom's suspension also took into account his weekend conduct, which concluded with police transporting him home on Sunday morning in a heavily intoxicated state.

Fellow Pie Lynden Dunn has received a one-game ban for his involvement.

"Our disappointment over Steele's suspension is no greater than it is over the fact that two senior players breached the return to play protocols," Magpies football boss Geoff Walsh said.

"Everyone knows Steele and Lynden started out with the best of intentions, to console an injured team-mate, but our players and staff have been well educated on the protocols and we take our social responsibilities seriously."

Steele Sidebottom and Lynden Dunn are under investigation for breaching the AFL's strict COVID-19 protocols.

Sidebottom and Dunn, who was part of the club's leadership group last year, shared an Uber on Saturday evening and Sidebottom later visited a staff member who is not living under the game's protocols.

They were earlier at Magpies teammate Jeremy Howe's home to console him after his serious knee injury the previous night.

"Steele's a bit flummoxed by the events of the evening. He's very embarrassed and very contrite. He's been really forward with giving us any information that he has," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

"He understands that he's made some poor decisions, in terms of his alcohol intake and then also with the COVID-19 restrictions as they sit. He understands that it's penalised his teammates in some shape or form."

Scott Pendlebury is set to become Collingwood's longest-serving skipper after being named captain for a seventh straight season.

Steele Sidebottom will continue on as vice-captain, while Jeremy Howe and Taylor Adams have been elevated as leaders of the club. All-Australian ruckman Brodie Grundy and Jordan Roughead have also been added to the leadership group for the first time.

Lynden Dunn was in the group last year but is not currently on the list as he recovers from a second knee reconstruction.

Steele Sidebottom recounts the day he almost lost a testicle from an incident at training.

As first-year Irish import Anton Tohill kicked on his non-dominant left foot, Sidebottom half-pushed the tall teenager and copped his back-flicking right foot "flush" in the nether region.

"I didn't really feel right. Usually when you cop one there it goes away after a little bit. But it didn't go away," he said.

As Sidebottom listened to assistant coach Robert Harvey address the players before a full-ground drill, he became dizzy, felt "pins-and-needles", had "a real bad pain in the gut" and thought he was going to faint.

The Pies vice-captain left the training track and headed straight for the club's medical department, where he took some Panadol and curled up in the foetal position on a physio's table.

An ultrasound didn't reveal any issues, so Sidebottom was sent across the other side of the Pies' training ground to Olympic Park Sports Medicine Clinic. It was found the testicle had been ruptured. He was booked in for surgery that night.

The repair work was finished off with four stitches and Sidebottom was released from hospital the next day.

"They put a bandage wrap around them to keep them supported and that was annoying because it felt like someone was holding onto my balls for a few days," he said.

"My nut almost got a hole in it and it had been bleeding out, so it got a bit swollen, so I was trying to walk around them a bit."

Sidebottom also has peace of mind, relieved that his mishap won't affect his plans to become a father one day.

"The doc told me I have nothing to worry about. He actually told me that the quickest healing process would have been to just remove the testicle," he said.

"Being 28 I didn't want that. He assured me that if you remove one that you're still able to potentially have kids down the track. I've still got two of them there and they've healed up all right."

Steele Sidebottom will miss his first game since round 4, 2016 after sustaining a ruptured testicle at training from an accidental kick to the groin which will require surgery.

"Steele was in clear discomfort but the extent of the injury and an anticipated recovery period won't be known until after the surgery," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"It is certainly disappointing for Steele but the upside is that we have the break between the end of the home and away season and finals to give him added time to recover."

Scott Pendlebury will captain Collingwood for a sixth season with Collingwood announcing an unchanged leadership group for 2019.

Pendlebury, the third longest serving Magpies skipper, will again be supported by Steele Sidebottom as vice-captain and fellow leaders Taylor Adams, Jeremy Howe and Lynden Dunn.

Brodie Grundy and Steele Sidebottom share the 2018 Copeland Trophy as the club's best and fairest in a remarkable count at Crown Palladium.

The result is stunning because there are tiebreakers in the event of a draw. Firstly, the player with the fewer number of games in a year will be deemed the winner, but both Sidebottom and Grundy lined up in all 26 matches as the Pies advanced to the Grand Final.

Then, whichever individual managed a greater number of votes in their highest-polling game is declared the victor.

Five members of the coaching panel independently decide between zero and 22 votes to players after every match, with the average of those taken.

However, Sidebottom and Grundy were level in that criterion as well. Amazingly, each had their highest-polling game in the round four win over Adelaide, with 17 votes apiece.

Scott Pendlebury will remain skipper of Collingwood for a fifth-straight season in 2018 with Steele Sidebottom again named alongside him as vice-captain.

Steele Sidebottom finally shakes the bridesmaid's tag to claim his first Collingwood best and fairest award after a thrilling EW Copeland Trophy count at Crown Palladium.

The 26-year-old midfielder received 140 votes to pip his fellow joint vice-captain Taylor Adams (139) on a night dominated by the pair.

Sidebottom – who had finished runner-up in 2014 and third in both 2013 and 2016 – averaged 27.3 disposals (fourth at Collingwood), four tackles and tallied 16 goals in 2017.

"I'd love to maintain (my form) and go further. I'm still only 26 and I hope my best footy is ahead of me," Sidebottom said after the count.

Steele Sidebottom says he is happy with his decision to take on more leadership responsibility at Collingwood.

Sidebottom's teammates had voted him onto the group in 2014 when premeirship captain Nick Maxwell got in his ear.

"I just remember talking to Maxy and he said 'I think it will be the best thing for you'," Sidebottom said.

"I'm glad Maxy had that chat with me. Not just my footy but the way I carry myself away from the club, it definitely changed me.

"Obviously first that I was voted in but I'm glad I eventually made the decision that I wanted to join it, because it's been awesome since."

Collingwood announces a three-man leadership group to front the Magpies in 2017.

Scott Pendlebury will captain the club for the fourth season in succession, with Steele Sidebottom and Taylor Adams as vice-captains.

Nathan Brown, now with St Kilda, and the retired Brett Macaffer were in last season's group, and the Magpies have chosen not to replace them.

Scott Pendlebury lays claim to being among the all-time Collingwood greats after winning his fourth consecutive Copeland Trophy as the Magpies' best and fairest.

Pendlebury earned 19 more votes than runner-up Adam Treloar while Steele Sidebottom finished third.

Steele Sidebottom accepts a two-match ban for engaging in rough conduct on Sydney Swan Dan Hannebery.

Steele Sidebottom signs a new five-year deal with Collingwood that will keep him at the club until the end of 2021.

The contract is understood to be worth around $3 million over the five years.

"I think having tasted [premiership success in 2010] I want to get that back and that's definitely a driving factor for me," Sidebottom said.

"Being in the leadership group now as well, it's my responsibility to help drive others to get to that place again, and I'm pretty confident with the list we've got that within the next couple of years it's definitely achievable."

Collingwood adds Taylor Adams and Brent Macaffer to its five-man leadership group.

The duo join skipper Scott Pendlebury along with Steele Sidebottom and Nathan Brown in the group.

Steele Sidebottom is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a broken thumb.

"He'll have a pin inserted in his thumb," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

"He was set to have a fantastic start to the year, but he's going to miss six to eight (weeks), I reckon."

Steele Sidebottom breaks his thumb in the Magpies' win over the Brisbane Lions.

Sidebottom was one of the Magpies' best in the 12-point win before suffering the injury early in the final quarter.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said Sidebottom copped a kick to the thumb.

"The early diagnosis is a break," Buckley said.

"We'll need to know whether that's going to need a pin, but he'll miss a few weeks with that."

Scott Pendlebury will again captain the Magpies in 2015, supported by a streamlined leadership group that includes Travis Cloke, Steele Sidebottom, Nathan Brown and the newly promoted Tyson Goldsack.

Lachlan Keeffe and Clinton Young have stepped down as leaders this year.

"They're five very strong leaders, they're all premiership players and they all know what it takes to get there," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

"We want to get back into finals and clearly that's the ambition of all these boys.

"When the players went through the selection process there was a fairly clear delineation between the top five and the rest.

"We feel that we've really developed our leadership over the last couple of years and the vindication of that is the strength of this leadership group, even with players like Luke Ball and Nick Maxwell moving on from the football club."

Scott Pendlebury wins back-to-back Copeland Trophies, securing his third Magpies best and fairest award at the Crown Palladium.

The Magpies skipper polled 165 votes, to finish 51 ahead of runner-up Steele Sidebottom (114) and third-placed Dayne Beams (112).

Maverick Weller says he can't remember being hit as hard as he was by Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom two weeks ago in all his years of playing football.

"I've never been knocked out like that before. I didn't really know what hit me," Weller said.

"I was laying there and I got slapped on the chest by Farren [Ray] and that helped me get back into it but I wasn't ready to stand up.

"But I did and I was mess. I was seeing two and then I sort of stumbled off."

Weller said he harboured no ill feelings towards Sidebottom.

"He's actually a ripping guy. I know him through a couple of my mates and he's a fair player – it's not in his nature at all," Weller said.

"He was great. He came up to me and apologised. I don't hold any bad feelings at all towards him about it."

Steele Sidebottom accepts a three-game ban after leaping off the ground and collecting St Kilda midfielder Maverick Weller with a high elbow.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says he believes the suspension is harsh but the club has chosen not to appeal the decision and risk a four-game ban.

"With the way incidents are adjudicated these days, as soon as Weller went off knocked out, the misfortune of that injury was enough to send Steele for weeks," Buckley said.

"Given that the AFL are now trying to legislate for misfortune ... Steele could have gone into that contest with a far greater malicious intent and hurt Weller less and received a lesser penalty for a greater intent.

"But because the injury is now taken into account, you can get unlucky - Steele got unlucky."

Nathan Buckley says he has high expectations of Steele Sidebottom who still has a long way to go before reaching his full potential.

"I personally believe that he's got a long way to go, that he's got a lot development and scope left in him," Buckley said.

"And that's my communication with Steele. He'll find me hard to please in regard to his performances because I think he's got a lot of talent, and there's still a lot of upside for him."

After missing last week's game against the Giants Steele Sidebottom is ready for an assault on September.

"I think a week off any time is always going to help and I hadn't missed a game [this year] up until then so a freshen up is always good," Sidebottom said.

"It's always hard to sit on the sidelines and watch but at the same time, if it can help me finish off the season a little bit stronger I suppose it's the best thing."

Collingwood secures Steele Sidebottom, Luke Ball and Jarryd Blair for the next two years.

Steele Sidebottom's rare durabllity has allowed him to play 61 of a possible 70 games since he joined the Magpies.

"I've been lucky with injury. To date, I've never really had any bad ones. I've had a couple of broken fingers and stuff but I think most people push through them and tape them up," he said.

"Maybe it is the fitness staff and the program we have, but maybe I've just been lucky - and hopefully that can continue."

Alan Didak, Steele Sidebottom and Ben Reid have all signed new deals with Collingwood.

Collingwood midfielder Steele Sidebottom reaches the quarter-finals of the international Name of the Year competition.

In the last 16, Sidebottom, who is seeded four in his division, defeated the top seed, Spontaneous Gordon, a woman from Wilmington, Delaware.

Collingwood Mick Malthouse says veteran forward Anthony Rocca has pulled up sore from last week's win while draftee Steele Sidebottom may debut on Anzac Day.