Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson has endorsed the coaching credentials of modern Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury.
As clubs like Essendon and Carlton search for their next senior coach, Johnson has thrown up the name of his former rival, following Pendlebury's instrumental role in orchestrating another oh-so-close comeback against the Geelong Cats last week.
Pendlebury was seen joining in coaching efforts with Craig McRae, as the Pies clawed their way back from 49 points down to get the margin within two goals.
Johnson liked what he saw, and said as much on Fox Footy's Sunday Ticket coverage.
"They're missing one name, in my opinion," Johnson said.
"He's a man that we know and we love within the game. He's the smartest in the game, he sees the game better than most, and on Thursday night last week, against the Cats, I nearly witnessed Scott Pendlebury execute a comeback against the Geelong football club, alongside his coach, Craig McRae.
"The way that he communicates with his players, sees the game, and is able to adjust ont he run? That was the final tick for me as you sit back and assess (whether or not) Scott Pendlebury is the right man to move straight into senior coaching. Absolutely, he is.
"There's no need for this guy to have a PowerPoint presentation to a board because we are seeing his presentation in real time, which holds way more weight than any board presentation. He's been part of a rebuild, he's been part of success, he's been part of development, he's been an assistant coach for the last three years anyway, as an on-field player. He is ready to go right now, in my eyes.
"Essendon have the opportunity to have first crack at Scott Pendlebury, right now, because any other club that loses a coach over the next 12 to 24 months - they're not going to go through a process, they're going to go knock on Scott Pendlebury's door, and say 'we want you'. Essendon have a chance to do that right now, and if I was on their board, I'd be pushing for that to happen," Johnson finished.
The Bombers were pushed just days ago to pursue Pendlebury's long-time running mate Steele Sidebottom, by pundit and St Kilda legend, Nick Riewoldt.
