- Maynard is labeled a bad guy on the field
- It is shown that he is just an ordinary human being
- Two children’s day made on the day of the preliminary final
While many football fans have labeled Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard a villain on the pitch, off it he has been hailed as a ‘Good Samaritan’ after two acts of kindness – including one just hours before his team’s preliminary final.
Maynard was public enemy No. 1 after the Magpies’ win over the Melbourne Demons after a choke attempt went wrong, leaving Angus Brayshaw concussed and wiped out of the match.
Maynard was cleared of the incident by the AFL Tribunal and even visited Brayshaw with a flower and bottle of wine to apologize, but has still earned the ire of many footy fans for his hard-nosed playing style.
However, two recent incidents could go a long way in changing public perception of the Collingwood hardman.
A caller told radio station 3AW Melbourne that Maynard had been spotted at Cluden Cricket Club just hours before the club’s crucial preliminary final against GWS last Friday.
Maynard, left, took his dog for a walk when he said he was chasing the footy being kicked by two local boys – so the Collingwood star decided to join them
Maynard has come under a lot of criticism in recent weeks, but he has also shown himself capable of selfless acts of kindness
The field is a popular meeting place for children and dog owners alike and Maynard was walking his pet when he crossed paths with two young fans.
“I went to a local park and there were guys and poorly behaved dogs everywhere,” the caller said.
“There was a twin, they were on a kick from the footy, about 9am or 10am or so.
‘The ball was being chased by a dog and the dog’s owner, a young guy, comes up to them and says, “Can I join you in doing a foot kick while the dog runs around?”
“This old duck comes up to me and says to me, ‘You know who kicked that young man around with the kids?’
“I had no idea,” she said, “he has a pretty big game in about three hours.”
It comes after another caller contacted 3AW two weeks ago to share a story about Maynard helping a stranded motorist.
Seeing the woman out of gas, Maynard went to the nearest gas station, bought a large gas can and filled it with 20 gallons of fuel before returning it to the woman and refusing payment.
It had 3AW announcers Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft mentioning Maynard as a Good Samaritan.
An emotional Maynard with teammate Darcy Moore after their thrilling one-point win over GWS to secure their place in the AFL grand final
Another AFL fan spotted Jack Crisp just before the grand final as he performed the mundane task of grocery shopping
Maynard was left shaking with excitement after the Pies held on to win by one point over GWS to earn their passage to the grand final.
‘Far away. I’m shaking. I’m actually shaking. “I’m getting a little emotional because I just love this,” he said.
‘This is what we play for. A point. Preliminaries.
‘All praise for GWS, much respect. They will make a great team in the future. How good is this? Serious. How good!’
When asked about his preparation for the match, which included the tribunal hearing and the visit to Brayshaw’s home, Maynard made a telling admission.
‘I’m not going to lie. I talked about it this week. It confused me, it confused me a lot,” he said.
‘I had great people around me, the whole club, my family. I would like to thank the Collingwood family and supporters for joining me.
‘That week was damn hard. All that nonsense, I can’t believe it now. It’s so damn good.’