Brayden Maynard indicates he will stay at Collingwood amid upcoming free agency

Chased by North Melbourne in the 2024 trade period, Pies star Brayden Maynard looked to be one to watch during this season. But not if you ask the man himself about his future.

Brayden Maynard will sacrifice the massive offers set to come his way this season to sign on at Collingwood in a huge show of faith in the club’s direction.

North Melbourne came hard at the rugged Pies defender last trade period and while they were shut down, the Roos were expected to launch another concerted campaign for his services.

Maynard is exactly the kind of player in demand as a free agent – a durable and versatile defender who can rebound or play on the stars of the competition.

But at Collingwood’s community camp in Gippsland, the 28-year-old Pies fan favourite made clear he had no interest in chasing the big cash.

North chased Brayden Maynard in 2024. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The Pies had been worried about rival interest, with their own deals for Harry Perryman and Dan Houston topping $800,000 a season and setting the market for Maynard’s new deal.

It meant he had huge leverage to ask for a bumper deal or test the market.

Maynard can expect a deal of four or more years, given he has already churned out 209 games and has barely missed a contest since 2016.

“The conversations have been had. We are in a good spot and I feel like we will be able to get it done soon,” Maynard said of his contract.

“We will leave that to my management and the club to get done, but I don’t think there is any worry there.

“It would be weird to have any other jumper on. In this business, it is a game – some things do happen – but I think my position with where I sit now is pretty comfortable.

“I have had a few conversations with the family and friends and the club and my management and we will be close to getting a deal done, but in saying that it is a business.

“We are going in the right direction.”

Asked if there was any money left given the club’s array of stars and recent acquisitions, he quipped: “There better be”.

Like the club’s brilliant midfield star Nick Daicos, Maynard has battled plantar fascia across the pre-season so been limited in much of his training. But he said his foot was on the mend after the painful condition with no doubts about his round 1 availability.

“I am coming to the end of that, thank god,” he said.

Maynard doesn’t seem to be heading anywhere. Picture: Mark Stewart

“It has been annoying, but it’s all going really well and the team is flying.

“Plantar fasciitis (is) one of the more annoying injuries because you can function on it and train to some extent, but its always lingering in the background. I have done everything I need to at this stage and it’s only a matter of time before it goes away completely.”

Dual All-Australian Houston changes the look of the Pies defence and his arrival came with a warning from Maynard about the potency of the defender in 2025.

The Pies have experimented with Daicos at halfback in a bid to generate more run and if it works, the combination could be scary for rival sides.

“If you were at training (last week) we had our best team out there and to include Dan Houston is a real positive for us,” Maynard said.

“His kicking ability is one of his main (positives), he’s been training the house down, he’s a really good inclusion for us and bringing Josh back with a bit of ball use, we are pretty stacked there but who knows what can happen. We have a team where we think we can go deep in the finals and it’s a really tough and hard competition so we will see what happens.”

Originally published as Brayden Maynard indicates he will stay at Collingwood amid upcoming free agency