Brayden Maynard accused of staging in Collingwood loss

Pies defender Brayden Maynard is up to his old tricks, easily going to ground in a move that swiftly had fans calling for fines.

Brayden Maynard has drawn the attention of opposition fans once again as the Collingwood defender wheeled out some of his old tricks against the Suns on Saturday night.

A premiership winner and a one-time All Australian, Maynard has an accomplished record in the AFL.

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But he also has a knack for earning the ire of the footy watching public and he was at it again in Gold Coast’s crunch 14.17 (101) to 13.12 (90) victory over the Pies.

Less than a week after Melbourne defender Steven May copped a $1875 fine for staging, fans were suggesting Maynard might be getting his own call from the AFL.

Midway through the second quarter at People First Stadium, Maynard and Gold Coast’s Ben Long were involved in some standard pushing and shoving when the Sun pushed the palm of his hand into the Collingwood star’s chest.

Maynard immediately crumpled to the ground and while it looked fairly light contact, only the Magpie knows the impact he felt.

Brayden Maynard against the Suns.

But it was his decision to grab his head while he was on the ground, indicating to anyone watching that the contact had been to his head or face, that put the 27-year-old back in the spotlight.

“Maynard can give it but he can’t receive it,” was one caption to the incident on X.

“That’s normal for Maynard (and I’m a pies fan),” wrote another.

“Fine incoming for staging for Maynard? Grabbing his head and trying to sell it as a high hit,” was another assessment.

“Another contender for the gold Logie,” added a fourth.

Others used terms like “embarrassing” and “soft as butter” to describe Maynard’s actions, while some were quick to compare it to May’s high-profile incident.

Steven May was fined over this incident last round.

One wrote: “That’s as bad as May. Has to be a fine. Pushed in the chest, hits the ground and holds his head.”

Another stated: “And grabs his head…. good enough for May, good enough for Maynard…..”

There is vision of another incident during the game involving the same two players, when Long pushes Maynard in the back and the Pie drops theatrically before stopping himself from falling to the ground.

It continues a colourful season for Maynard, who was the topic of a torrent of negative social media reaction over a halftime confrontation with Fremantle great Nat Fyfe last month.

In the dying seconds of the second quarter at Optus Stadium, Fyfe gave Collingwood star Josh Daicos the slightest of bumps at a stoppage.

That was reason enough for Maynard to see red, pushing past another Docker so he could confront the two-time Brownlow medallist.

That led to a melee as Freo players got around Fyfe and a number of Pies tried to pull Maynard out of the fray.

“Well not surprisingly Brayden Maynard finds himself right smack bang in the middle of this little donation fest I’d call it,” Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.

“There’s only one player to look for,” Jordan Lewis chipped in.

The majority of X users seemed to take a similar stance on this episode, with many using the same term to describe the 2022 All Australian.

Nick Daicos’ brilliance wasn’t enough for the Pies. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Suns claimed another important win. (Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“I get the impression some people don’t like Brayden Maynard, can’t imagine why,” was one comment.

“Someone needs to let him know he’s not the toughest person in the AFL!” another replied.

“Maynard’s tough guy act is wearing really thin,” stated another footy fan.

“Imagine having a go at Nat Fyfe. Maynard the fakest tough guy there is and it’s daylight to second place,” wrote another.

On the field, Nick Daicos produced a goal of the season contender, touching the ball three separate times before kicking a major on the run midway through the final term.

It looked like Collingwood was going to produce another fourth-quarter comeback, but the Suns steadied to extended their unbeaten campaign at home.

Under first-year Suns coach Damien Hardwick, the perennial battlers have moved to 8-7 for the season and are just percentage outside the finals places as they fight for a first taste of September football in franchise history.

Originally published as Brayden Maynard accused of staging in Collingwood loss