COLLINGWOOD’S four-time Copeland Trophy winner Scott Pendlebury has urged teammates to push for a premiership as early as next year, citing the club’s 2010 flag as an example of what a young group can achieve.

The 27-year-old superstar, who has signed a new deal keeping him in black and white until the end of 2020, believes the Magpies already have the core of a side capable of success, with young midfielders Adam Treloar (GWS) and James Aish (Brisbane Lions) also requesting to join the club.

“I am sick of hearing age as an excuse for our group ... we are a talented young group, yes, but we were in 2010, and we won a flag,” Pendlebury said.

“We have got that age bracket now where (a lot of the young players) have played three years of senior footy and have played that 30 to 40 games.

“We are in that really good zone where we can push for the finals ... let’s turn potential into finals and let’s turn finals into a flag.”

Collingwood’s 2010 premiership side — Pendlebury won a Norm Smith Medal in the Grand Final replay — had an average age of 24 years and 57 days, with its relative youth not a hindrance.

media_camera Scott Pendlebury with the 2010 premiership cup.

The Magpies squad going into next year will once more be one of the youngest in the AFL, but Pendlebury said West Coast and the Western Bulldogs this year showed what could be achieved with hungry, young playing lists.

“It can be done really quickly,” Pendlebury said about future success. “I would love it to be 2016, but we’ve just got to keep putting those building blocks in place.

“West Coast has given us a good template and so have the Bulldogs. You can turn things around pretty quickly. We have got to move forward pretty quickly.”

Collingwood has missed the past two finals series — finishing 12th this season and 11th in 2014 — and while Pendlebury was delighted to win a third successive best-and-fairest, he said: “I play to win premierships.”

media_camera Pendlebury with faincee Alex Davis at Collingwood’s best-and-fairest count. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

He was pleased to see that Treloar and Aish wanted to join the Magpies, but admitted there was still plenty of work to do to turn those hopes into reality, especially with Aish, whom Brisbane says won’t be traded.

“I would love to have James Aish at our football club,” Pendlebury said. “But clearly there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before that happens.”

Pendlebury revealed he was keen to extend his deal with the club as a show of faith in the direction Collingwood was heading and to also take the focus off him next year.

He will marry his long-time partner Alex Davis in Bali on Monday and has vowed to come back to pre-season training in November “in great nick” to help drive standards.

“I can’t come back and demand excellence if I am not delivering it,” he said.