BRAYDEN Maynard couldn't have been further away from being captain of one of the biggest clubs in the country when he arrived at Collingwood with a ratbag tag almost a decade ago.
But across the past two Friday nights, the ruthless defender has demonstrated just how far he has come since then, thriving with the opportunity to step up in the absence of injured skipper Darcy Moore.
Under the guidance of first Nathan Buckley and now Craig McRae, some home truths from Scott Pendlebury and the wisdom of Jeremy Howe, the 26-year-old has developed into one of the best leaders inside the AIA Centre. But it hasn't happened overnight. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Now ultra-reliable, both on and off the field, Maynard first emerged as a star of the future when he finished fifth in the Copeland Trophy in 2019. He then backed it up the following season by placing fifth in the best and fairest again, before finishing runner-up in 2021.
But last year was the year of universal admiration, where those who don't bleed black and white stopped to truly appreciate Maynard when the Adelaide-born, Melbourne-raised backman was rewarded with an All-Australian blazer for the first time.
Since then, Maynard has moved from No.37 to No.4, moved from potential leader to vice-captain and continued his upward leadership trajectory.
"I never thought I'd be the skipper for the Collingwood Football Club. I have come a long way. It's a pretty proud moment, my family are really proud," Maynard told AFL.com.au after Collingwood's 70-point win over Essendon last Friday night.
"I'm very, very proud of what I've been able to achieve over the last nine years. But to lead the boys out, not only last week but this week as well, I'm truly blessed and honoured to lead this group. We will get D Moore back for week one of the finals. I can't wait to get out there, but I have absolutely loved it, I was like a little kid again leading the boys out.
"I've always led in my own right in my actions, but it was more off-field stuff that I had to learn. I have such great people around me and such great leaders in 'Howey', D Moore, 'Pendles', who I'Ve had lots of chats to along my career, not only the last couple of years. It's gotten me to where I am today. That's why I reckon I am leading off-field and on-field and I’m really proud of myself for doing that."
Maynard is adored by teammates and worshipped by Collingwood supporters who connect with the way he handles his business. It is why some fans of an older vintage see shades of the late, great Darren Millane in the rough around edges Maynard.
But away from the AIA Centre and the spotlight of the MCG, Maynard is still cherished by students and teachers at Port Phillip Specialist School, where he spent at least a day each week working with students dealing with physical or mental challenges, before the coronavirus pandemic. He loved it. And they loved him.
Maynard is now an ambassador for What Ability, an organisation that aims to bring happiness to people living with a disability through the presence of professional and semi-professional athletes as support workers.
"I have always loved working and teaching kids, especially kids with disabilities," Maynard said. "I just love the smile it brings to their face and my face. What Ability is pretty much mentoring kids and adults with all sorts of disabilities and go out once or twice a week for about four hours and take the weight off parents' shoulders. I get a lot of it."
Maynard will turn 27 next month and is contracted until the end of 2025, but he knows this phase of his journey won't last forever. Life after footy is beginning to take shape, and if things go to plan, it will see him remain in the game.
"I've just started getting into recruiting. I love watching young talent. I love watching football. To see the young talent up and coming and be a part of all that appeals to me," he said.
"I've had a few chats to [Collingwood recruiting boss] Derek Hine and a few of our recruiters. That might be one step. There is so much that goes behind the scenes of being a recruiter, but I feel like I'd be a good fit. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future holds in that side of things."
Hine has worked for the club since 2003 and is one of the most experienced talent identifiers in the caper. He has seen it all. Hine selected Maynard at pick No.30 in 2014, and more recently, plucked Jack Ginnivan out of the Bendigo Pioneers with pick No.13 in the Rookie Draft at the end of 2020.
Ginnivan burst onto the scene last year in just his second season, but this year has been anything but a walk in the park. The 20-year-old was suspended at the start of the year and has spent more time in the VFL than at AFL level. But last Friday night, the cult figure reminded Maynard that he can make a difference in September.
"I love the way he has been handled himself," he said. "He played every game last year and dominated. For him to not be playing as much as he would like, the way he has been training, the way he has been putting his best foot forward, every training session he has been doing to get back into the side. Then he comes back in and plays the way he does. It is a real credit to him. I love playing with him; the crowd goes absolutely nuts when he goes near the ball and that gets us up."
Collingwood also returned to form last Friday night, just in time for an assault on September, correcting the defensive issues that have caused them grief over the past month, while also injecting some out-of-form players with the perfect confidence booster ahead of next Thursday night's qualifying final against Melbourne at the MCG.
"I feel for the last month we hadn't been playing our best football," he said. "It just came back to our DNA and team defence. It hasn't been there the last sort of month; that was our No.1 focus going into the game; be really stingy on defence because we feel like our defence flows into our offence. It was really good to be back to our best. We had given up over 100 points for three or four weeks straight, so it was good to be back to our very best and hold them to 31 points."
