A major blow has hit Australian Football League side Collingwood Magpies, with star defender Brayden Maynard set to miss a minimum of four weeks of game time following urgent surgery on his left leg — a timeline that leaves his participation in the upcoming September finals series hanging heavily in the balance. Collingwood head coach Craig McRae confirmed the injury update to reporters on Tuesday morning, adding that more granular details about the 29-year-old’s condition and recovery would be released by the club’s official medical department later the same day.
Maynard picked up the unusual injury during the Magpies’ commanding 34-point victory over Adelaide on Thursday night. McRae described the injury as a rare cross-type issue that affects both the hamstring and the knee, saying the entire club was clinging to cautious optimism that Maynard would recover in time to contribute to the team’s finals campaign. “We’re hoping he’d be fit for the team’s September campaign,” McRae told media. The recovery timeline already rules Maynard out of the Magpies’ upcoming clash against Geelong Cats, scheduled for this Thursday night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Maynard is not the only Collingwood starter facing an uncertain availability for the Geelong match: star midfielder Jordan De Goey is also listed as doubtful after falling ill, McRae confirmed. This will mark the Magpies’ second consecutive Thursday night fixture, kicking off at 7:30 pm AEST at the MCG.
Despite the Geelong Cats entering the match shorthanded — missing star forward Jeremy Cameron and elite midfielder Max Holmes — McRae warned against underestimating the weakened Cats side, noting that proven top-tier clubs always adjust and find ways to generate scoring even when key players are sidelined. “There’s so many more threats,” he said. “Like good teams do, they just find ways to score.”
McRae also reflected on the two sides’ earlier encounter in round 9, where the Cats dominated Collingwood to secure a 54-point win. In that match, Collingwood’s game plan focused heavily on limiting the impact of star Cats defender Tom Stewart, but McRae admitted that strategy failed to deliver results. “Not much worked then,” he said. “It’s going to be important how we kick the ball inside 50, and how we stop him from marking it, so that’s something we’re going to work towards.”
This injury update comes as a major setback for Collingwood’s 2024 premiership push, with Maynard serving as a core defensive leader for the side throughout the regular season.