‘Heart and soul’: Maynard spurns free agency, re-signs with Magpies
Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard has spurned free agency in favour of signing a three-year contract extension.
Maynard, who could have tested the open market at the end of next season, will remain a Magpie at least until the end of 2025.
Brayden Maynard has signed a new contract with Collingwood.Credit:Getty Images
“I saw so many reasons to stay and none to leave. It wasn’t a question, in my mind,” Maynard said on Friday.
“I’ve been here for seven years and Collingwood is 129 years old but the environment under ‘Wrighty’ and ‘Fly’ [new coach Craig McRae] feels brand new.
“It’s exciting. I’m also thankful for the faith in a long-term deal and the support of those around me. I’m still striving to be as good for Collingwood as Collingwood has been for me. I am in love with the club, I love all the boys here, the new coaching staff.”
Magpies football department chief Graham Wright was delighted to get the deal done, for Maynard, 25, has played 138 matches across his seven seasons, and not missed a match since 2018.
“Brayden is a fine player who is approaching his prime. He is also a heart and soul figure in our change room,” Wright said.
“His passion, for his club and his teammates, has made him a fan favourite and makes his decision to re-sign an important one on a number of levels.
“Brayden has developed into a first-rank player and we believe there is so much more to come. I know he has ambitions to lead and to bring along the many young players in our group.”
Maynard’s flexibility has been an important weapon in recent seasons, for he can play as a tall or take on speedy forwards and then attack with his booming left foot kick.
He has finished top five in the past three Copeland Trophy counts. He was runner-up to Jack Crisp in 2021 and an All-Australian nominee in 2020.
While Maynard’s future is clear, the Magpies have yet to secure a fresh extension for star defender Darcy Moore, while they will need to make call on Jordan De Goey once his latest court case is settled. De Goey will be a free agent at the end of next year, but his future is clouded.
His hearing on assault charges has been adjourned until January 4 and the New York Criminal Court will decide his fate on January 18 after he appeared in court via video link on Thursday (AEDT). The charges stem from a night out in New York in late October.
The Magpies will also have to decide whether Scott Pendlebury retains the captaincy, which he has enjoyed for a club record 183 matches. He will not rejoin training until early next year, having undergone surgery on a fractured left leg. The hairline fracture is near the same spot where he broke his leg this year, missing the final four rounds of the season.
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