Collingwood have sprung one last surprise for Scott Pendlebury's record-breaking 433rd game, with every player wearing a gold number on the back of their guernsey.
Pendlebury had been expected to wear the special edition after the plan was leaked weeks before Saturday's clash with West Coast at the MCG.
Plenty of criticism had been directed at the former captain and the Pies since as a series of fundraising initiatives trickled out.
But the Magpies ensured they still "looked like a team" when every player stepped out onto the MCG donning gold numbers alongside Pendlebury.
"Love it. Love myself some merch! That looks terrific. Doesn't that look great on the back of the jumpers?" David King said on Fox Sports.
"Great to see the club went with full 23. Jeez that's striking, that looks terrific, well done Collingwood."
Richmond great Jack Riewoldt was of the belief coach Craig McRae drove the initiative.
"He's one of the all-time team men. He would've driven this, because there was a bit of publicity about Scott," Riewoldt said.
"How good the teammates have fallen in behind him and the AFL allows this to happen. What a special occasion."
McRae did not spill the beans but joked, seemingly with tongue firmly in cheek, that the Pies had not flagged the idea with the AFL beforehand.
"The jumpers look good," he said.
"I'm not sure we got approval for all of them — we might get in trouble for that. But we wanted to look like a team."
A monster crowd arrived as expected with few seats left empty for the start of the contest.
