Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard slammed over ‘tough guy act’
Love him or hate him, Brayden Maynard rubs people the wrong way, and the Pie was at it again in Friday’s clash with Fremantle.
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In professional sport there have always been villains, the guys that their own fans usually love and opposition fans love to hate.
Then there’s Brayden Maynard, who was up to some of his usual tricks on Friday night as the Dockers stormed home to snatch an 11.9 (75) to 10.15 (75) draw with the Pies.
The 27-year-old Collingwood defender has a penchant for rubbing some people the wrong way, whether it’s the extreme haircut, his confrontational style or of course that collision with Angus Brayshaw in last year’s qualifying final.
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While Maynard was cleared by the Tribunal after he left the former Melbourne star concussed, the fact Brayshaw was forced to retire a few months later made the Collingwood premiership player enemy No. 1 in some people’s eyes, fairly or not.
Maynard, who went on to feature in Collingwood’s flag success against the Lions three weeks later, was flooded with abuse after Brayshaw’s February retirement.
On Friday night, Maynard found himself the topic of another torrent of negative social media reaction, this time over a halftime confrontation with Fremantle great Nat Fyfe.
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.
As you can see in the video player above, 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.
It was just the latest in a long line of similar incidents involving Maynard, which can be viewed as a player standing up for a teammate or a noted trouble maker creating an incident when it wasn’t required.
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.
“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.
Another had a somewhat playful dig at the Pie, writing: “Reminds me of my 9 year old mouthing off. But he’s 9. Maynard is a grown adult.”
Of course there were some footy fans supporting Maynard, but there were a few, including some who felt he was simply standing up for a teammate.
One wrote: “Good bloke. Looks after his mates.”
Another responded to the “fake tough” comments by stating: “Maynard would belt the absolute f**k out of the entire Freo team.”
Another fan wrote: “Maynard is a gun. Tough.”
Then there was another that may have summed up the situation, writing: “I can see how he’s hated, but when he is on your team it’s different.”
In the true field of battle, Fremantle made a fast start and held the lead for most of the opening term.
The Dockers led by 13 points at the main break, but the premiers worked their way on top in the third quarter, holding the home side without a goal until late in the final term to date to open up a 21-point lead.
Fremantle wasn’t done, however, kicking five of the last six goals to roar home and grab a share of the spoils in another draw for 2024.
Originally published as Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard slammed over ‘tough guy act’
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