COLLINGWOOD'S Tyson Goldsack has defended Nick Maxwell after it was revealed on Thursday that former Geelong full-back Matthew Scarlett had called the Magpies' skipper "overrated" in his newly released autobiography Hold The Line.

Goldsack admitted he had not read Scarlett's exact comments but indicated that reading the book would not exactly be on his bucket list.

"If he is talking down one of our players, I'm not too fond of that, so I probably won't be rushing out to buy the book," Goldsack said.

"[It's] obviously not too good if he is saying bad things about 'Maxy'. Maxy is a good bloke so I'm not sure what he is talking about there."

He grinned when asked whether the comment would bother Collingwood's 2010 premiership captain.

"No, I can't imagine so," Goldsack said.

In the extract, Scarlett – a Geelong champion who played full back in three flags – said Maxwell approached the Geelong huddle at three-quarter time in the 2010 preliminary final when the Magpies were ahead by 61 points and started sledging players.

The behaviour did not sound completely unusual given the fierce competitive nature of both players.

Maxwell, however, had a different recollection of the incident, referring to the verbal altercation with Scarlett in his 2010 book One Grand Week.

Walking to the huddle for the final change, Maxwell crossed paths with Scarlett. In the same game 12 months earlier, as the eventual premiers were having their way with Collingwood – leading by 34 points before romping to a 73-point demolition – the Geelong full-back had verbally taunted the Collingwood captain for 30 seconds, a string of abuse and invective designed to mentally upend his opponent.

It was all gamesmanship, but Maxwell was not going to deny his chance to return fire 12 months on.

"Jeez, you're pretty f*&*ing quiet!" he yelled at Scarlett. "Don't you have anything to say this time? You finished, old man."

Ever the competitor, Scarlett had one final shot. "You blokes will f*(& it up next week anyway."

"Maybe," countered Maxwell. "but you won't be there!"

Scarlett said his team was also angered by repeated comparisons between Maxwell and the Cats dual premiership captain Tom Harley.

However, the comparison doesn't seem so unlikely now.

Both are premiership captains and defenders. Harley's career ended on 198 games with 123 wins and two flags. Maxwell's sits on 191 games with 123 wins also. Maxwell played in one flag.  Both earned All Australian selection once.