Collingwood’s raging bull defender Brayden Maynard is showing his compassionate side
Brayden Maynard might admit to being a bit ‘troublesome’ in his youth, but Collingwood’s raging bull defender is showing his softer side with a special group of fans.
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Brayden Maynard is the hardened Collingwood backman with the soft centre.
Asked what he thought he would be doing in life if he wasn’t playing footy for a living, the rough-and-ready defender paused.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I wasn’t great at school,” Maynard said.
“I’m very proud, of course, of what I have been able to do, and especially now to be in the emerging leaders group at the club.
“But, early on, I was a bit troublesome.”
The man who was on the other end of that famous Dom Sheed premiership-winning marking contest in last year’s Grand Final has grown on and off the field, as much as anyone at Collingwood over the past five years.
And when Maynard says he wasn’t the perfect student, the more important truth of the matter is that he is now becoming a wonderful teacher.
Someone who every week, in his own time, creates magical moments for the students at the Port Phillip Specialist School in Port Melbourne.
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There, he assists the staff, helping kids delight in the most basic joys of marking, throwing and holding a ball.
Principal Juliet Cooper said Maynard had quickly become a favourite with the students.
“He is fantastic with the kids, and they are so excited to see him when he comes in,” Cooper said.
“He does some ball-handling skills with the kids, and he’s really got to break it down to the absolute minimum specific skill of rolling the ball, catching a ball and touching a ball.
“Just getting a feel for it, before the skills progress.
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“And even specifically talking to the kids because it’s got to be simple, basic, short sentences, repeated week-on-week so they comprehend what he’s asking them to do.
“But he has certainly built that relationship with students, in part, because of his ability to stay calm.
“In our kind of environment it can be confronting because you see all individuals with all sorts of complex physical and medical needs and complex behaviours as well.
“But his ability to remain calm and not be thrown by a difficult situation has been great.
“He is certainly very, very patient, understanding and helpful.”
Maynard, who turns 23 on Friday, is also involving other teammates such as close mate Jordan De Goey, and has increased his involvement from one class to three classes at Port Phillip.
“Last week we had the rehearsal for our concert and he had fun being a part of that, seeing the kids do some dancing and moving and choreography,” Cooper said.
“So that was lovely, and you can see him becoming a great PE teacher because has been able to build that relationship and that rapport with the students.
“He has got that wonderful, friendly nature and that ability to connect.”
For Maynard, the experience has given him an enhanced life perspective, and grown his passion for working with young people.
That Sheed mark and goal may live with him forever in some ways, but the 96-gamer is also acutely aware that there are more important things in life, too.
What is clear is that away from the field, Collingwood’s raging back pocket bull has a gentle, and compassionate side.
“I walk out of the school some days with watery eyes,” Maynard said.
“It is something that I really love doing – going to the school. I love putting a smile on the kids’ faces, and seeing their eyes light up.
“It is something that really makes me happy. I have a soft spot for the kids and I really do just love being with them.
“So, what would I be doing if I wasn’t playing footy? I’m not entirely sure, but I hope it would be some sort of teaching.”
While the students are mostly unaware of his weekly exploits stopping some of the AFL’s most dangerous small forwards, one of the female students knows exactly who he is — a Collingwood hero in her own classroom.
“He does an amazing job of sharing his time equally among all the students,” Cooper said.
“But there is one girl, and I don’t want to say this just because she is a Collingwood supporter, but she does recognise him, and her face just completely lights up.
“She sees him on TV and then she sees him at school, and that is a big thing. She’s 15.
“So, it is really nice to see him work with her and give her that one-on-one attention, because she really enjoys that time together.
“But he treats all the kids exactly the same, and the boys love the interaction as well, whether it’s football, cricket or basketball ball-handling skills.”
On Saturday, Maynard will be handed the job to stop another competitive beast, GWS Giants’ star Toby Greene, if the Giant can tonight overturn his one-match ban at the appeals tribunal.
As usual, Maynard is up for a physical battle.
It is why Collingwood recruiting manager Derek Hine and Sandringham talent manager Ryan O’Connor said there were shades of Luke Hodge in Maynard.
Carlton champion Chris Judd also said recently Maynard was one of leagues’ best small defenders, and one of the AFL’s most underrated players.
“I switch into this different person when I cross the white line,” Maynard said.
“I love playing the game, I have a great amount of respect for who I play against and who I play with, but when I go on to the field I’m a different person.
“There’s a competitive streak in me and I think I get that from my dad’s side because his old man was a bit of an angry man.
“But any sport — table tennis, basketball, footy cricket, I’m a very competitive person.”
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His rise on the field has come with more maturity off it.
In the early days, he enjoyed the social side of things too much, he said.
But as recently as this summer, he would book in 7am Saturday gym sessions with teammates De Goey, Ben Crocker and captain Scott Pendlebury to make sure he started his weekend with some fitness gains, rather than a hangover.
“My off-field behaviour — I didn’t have issues, but I was probably going out a bit too much,” he said.
“Footy wasn’t first in line for me. It was social life first and then footy, and I just had to change that.
“So I’ve definitely matured over the years, and it didn’t happen straight way, and it’s not meant to happen straight away.
“But I understand more now than when I was when I was 17 or 18, and the people around me have helped a lot.
“Especially Pendles, putting plans in place and writing things down for the off-season and the season, like curfews, for example.
“Pendles drove those gym sessions and we went along for the ride and I’m lucky to have him here, and his professionalism, because he’s someone I leech on to every day.”
Originally published as Collingwood’s raging bull defender Brayden Maynard is showing his compassionate side