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The outcome of the Collingwood-Melbourne qualifying final will be determined by the team that plays “harder for longer”, according to Collingwood’s tough All-Australian defender Brayden Maynard.
Asked what would decide the final – arguably the biggest first-week final of the past decade given the stakes and build-up – Maynard, an All-Australian in 2022, said it would come down to “whoever can play harder for longer.”
Brayden Maynard ahead of Collingwood’s huge finals clash with Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s finals football, it’s a different game,” he said. “It’s so much faster, the contest is a lot harder.
“Blokes who want to play harder for longer and who are connected to it longest, they’ll probably come out on top. But who knows? It’s finals football, anything can happen, really.”
The stakes of Thursday night’s game are massive, given the winner will earn a home preliminary final, potentially against Port Adelaide, Brisbane, or a lower-ranked finals team. The loser will play either Carlton or Sydney in a cutthroat semi, and if it survives would be in a tough preliminary final at either the Gabba or Adelaide Oval.
Describing Thursday night as Collingwood’s biggest game in a couple of years, Maynard said he felt the Magpies had lost form over that four-week period – when they lost to Carlton, Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions – because they had stopped playing their brand defensively and in playing for one another “and celebrating.”
“I feel like we sort of we went away from playing our best football in terms of our defence and playing for each other and celebrating each other – I felt like that’s what we do best,“ Maynard told this masthead. “I’m not sure exactly why that happened. Maybe it had to do with something two games in front of everyone else on top of the ladder.
“But no excuses. We didn’t play the best football. [But] I felt like against Essendon we did play our best football. It was a good time to be back at our best.”
Maynard predicted there would be some “friendly fire” on Thursday night, given his friendships with Melbourne players, such as Ed Langdon – whom he famously tackled forcefully in a clash between the clubs last year after Langdon described Collingwood’s style as “all duck and no dinner.”
Craig McRae in conversation with Maynard after Collingwood’s win over Geelong last month.Credit: AFL Photos
“I do know Melbourne well, yeah I’ve got quite a few mates there and have good relationships there, but there will be no relationships in … there will be a bit of friendly fire out there on Thursday night. I can’t wait to get out there. They’re a serious side.”
Maynard, while renowned for his physical approach and vigour – he also made a brutal tackle on Alex Neal-Bullen in the same game in which he forcefully tackled Langdon – said he was a fair player who did not set out to hurt opponents.
“I’ve been reported a couple of times. And I feel like I play a bit of a fair game, like I’m not going out there trying to hurt blokes,” he said. “But I want to play a fair game and I just compete my hardest every single contest and if I can’t win it, I’ll try and halve it. And hey I’m not going to win them all.”
Maynard said of the Langdon game and tackle in the opening minute of their late season game: “It was great fun. I know Langers, mates with him, played TAC Cup with him, so we have a good relationship, it was pretty funny that I was able to get my hands on him first.”
Maynard’s father Peter is a former Melbourne player and long-time Demons official who is still involved in the club via Casey in the VFL program. Maynard said while he discussed his own game with his father, they did not talk about Collingwood and Melbourne when the teams clashed.
“No, no, we don’t really talk about Collingwood or Dees. We know that … he’s doing the Casey stuff, the VFL stuff. Every now and then we talk about my game and how I can get better, he gives feedback for me, but we never really talk about Dees-Collingwood, Collingwood-Dees … we know that we can’t.”
Maynard made the All-Australian side last year in defence and while he has not stood out as much this season, he felt his leadership – he is part of the leadership group and filled in as captain in Darcy Moore’s absence – had gone to another level this year.
“I’m still learning. I’ve got no ceiling on what and who I need to become,” he said. “I feel like my leadership has gone to another level and can go to another level again.
“It’s a bit of everything, I feel like my on-field leadership has always been there, now it’s sort of developing off-field skills … I feel like I’m growing as a person every single day.”
Maynard said young gun Nick Daicos would make an enormous difference to the Pies when he returned to the side from his knee injury. “[A] huge difference. He’s bloody Brownlow favourite and when he plays he adds so much spark into our offence, and he can defend well – he can run both ways really well.
“Yeah it will be good to have him back whenever it is, but hey next man up attitude.”
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