Buckley came under fire from Cats premiership captain Cameron Ling who vilified the mentor for taking Pendlebury from the field.

The uninjured Magpies captain spent 14 minutes of the third quarter on the bench during a period which the Saints kicked four goals setting up a 9.15 (69) to 7.13 (55) victory.

"Can I say if there wasn't an injury to Scott Pendlebury ... I can't believe that he's sat 14 minutes on the bench in the third quarter in a game that was there to be won," Ling told 3AW.

"That is unbelievable. The bloke's a star. Get him on the ground. You've got to have your captain and your superstar on the ground ... unless he is injured.

"That's the coach Nathan Buckley (who makes the decision). All the bloody sports scientists gone made ... you've got to win the game."

However, Pendlebury said his benching was due to rotations.

"It wasn't coach-driven, or I wasn't dragged or anything," he told the Seven Network.

"It was just one of those unfortunate things that can happen in football.

"It was actually, I just happened to start the third quarter on the bench and for one reason or another - the rotations - we just couldn't get someone off in the first seven or eight minutes.

"The play was on the outer wing, so I just couldn't get on and I did a 10-12 minute stint like I normally do, come off, and then it's just one of those things."

But Buckley contradicted Pendlebury’s thoughts.

"Pendles, more often than not, he brings the right intent and energy. He was probably a little bit quieter tonight," Buckley said on Sunday when asked why his captain was brought from the field.