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The outcome of the Collingwood-Melbourne qualifying final will be determined by the team that plays \u201charder for longer\u201d, according to Collingwood\u2019s tough All-Australian defender Brayden Maynard.<\/p>\n
Asked what would decide the final \u2013 arguably the biggest first-week final of the past decade given the stakes and build-up \u2013 Maynard, an All-Australian in 2022, said it would come down to \u201cwhoever can play harder for longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Brayden Maynard ahead of Collingwood\u2019s huge finals clash with Melbourne.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s finals football, it\u2019s a different game,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so much faster, the contest is a lot harder.<\/p>\n \u201cBlokes who want to play harder for longer and who are connected to it longest, they\u2019ll probably come out on top. But who knows? It\u2019s finals football, anything can happen, really.\u201d<\/p>\n The stakes of Thursday night\u2019s game are massive, given the winner will earn a home preliminary final, potentially against Port Adelaide, Brisbane, or a lower-ranked finals team. The loser will play either Carlton or Sydney in a cutthroat semi, and if it survives would be in a tough preliminary final at either the Gabba or Adelaide Oval.<\/p>\n Describing Thursday night as Collingwood\u2019s biggest game in a couple of years, Maynard said he felt the Magpies had lost form over that four-week period \u2013 when they lost to Carlton, Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions \u2013 because they had stopped playing their brand defensively and in playing for one another \u201cand celebrating.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like we sort of we went away from playing our best football in terms of our defence and playing for each other and celebrating each other \u2013 I felt like that\u2019s what we do best,\u201c Maynard told this masthead. \u201cI\u2019m not sure exactly why that happened. Maybe it had to do with something two games in front of everyone else on top of the ladder.<\/p>\n \u201cBut no excuses. We didn\u2019t play the best football. [But] I felt like against Essendon we did play our best football. It was a good time to be back at our best.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard predicted there would be some \u201cfriendly fire\u201d on Thursday night, given his friendships with Melbourne players, such as Ed Langdon \u2013 whom he famously tackled forcefully in a clash between the clubs last year after Langdon described Collingwood\u2019s style as \u201call duck and no dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n Craig McRae in conversation with Maynard after Collingwood\u2019s win over Geelong last month.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI do know Melbourne well, yeah I\u2019ve got quite a few mates there and have good relationships there, but there will be no relationships in … there will be a bit of friendly fire out there on Thursday night. I can\u2019t wait to get out there. They\u2019re a serious side.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard, while renowned for his physical approach and vigour \u2013 he also made a brutal tackle on Alex Neal-Bullen in the same game in which he forcefully tackled Langdon \u2013 said he was a fair player who did not set out to hurt opponents.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been reported a couple of times. And I feel like I play a bit of a fair game, like I\u2019m not going out there trying to hurt blokes,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I want to play a fair game and I just compete my hardest every single contest and if I can\u2019t win it, I\u2019ll try and halve it. And hey I\u2019m not going to win them all.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard said of the Langdon game and tackle in the opening minute of their late season game: \u201cIt was great fun. I know Langers, mates with him, played TAC Cup with him, so we have a good relationship, it was pretty funny that I was able to get my hands on him first.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard\u2019s father Peter is a former Melbourne player and long-time Demons official who is still involved in the club via Casey in the VFL program. Maynard said while he discussed his own game with his father, they did not talk about Collingwood and Melbourne when the teams clashed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, we don\u2019t really talk about Collingwood or Dees. We know that … he\u2019s doing the Casey stuff, the VFL stuff. Every now and then we talk about my game and how I can get better, he gives feedback for me, but we never really talk about Dees-Collingwood, Collingwood-Dees … we know that we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard made the All-Australian side last year in defence and while he has not stood out as much this season, he felt his leadership \u2013 he is part of the leadership group and filled in as captain in Darcy Moore\u2019s absence \u2013 had gone to another level this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still learning. I\u2019ve got no ceiling on what and who I need to become,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like my leadership has gone to another level and can go to another level again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of everything, I feel like my on-field leadership has always been there, now it\u2019s sort of developing off-field skills … I feel like I\u2019m growing as a person every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n Maynard said young gun Nick Daicos would make an enormous difference to the Pies when he returned to the side from his knee injury. \u201c[A] huge difference. He\u2019s bloody Brownlow favourite and when he plays he adds so much spark into our offence, and he can defend well \u2013 he can run both ways really well.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah it will be good to have him back whenever it is, but hey next man up attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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