North Melbourne are set to make a huge play at recruiting Collingwood premiership hero Brayden Maynard.
A bombshell report from Fox Footy’s Jay Clark claims that the Kangaroos, who boast significant salary cap space and have bolstered their list with veterans from rival clubs in recent years, could offer the controversial defender a six year deal worth more than $5 million to prise him out of the Magpies.
“Hold onto your hats – it’s worth as much as six years and $5-6 million for the 28-year-old,” Clark said of the contract offer on Fox Footy’s Super Saturday.
“Collingwood simply can’t and won’t match that sort of money.
“For North Melbourne, Brayden Maynard brings the grunt, the toughness, the team ethos and the premiership experience they need to complement that really talented midfield.
“It’s a big decision for Brayden Maynard and something that he will weigh up… it’s huge money for a 28-year old.”
Maynard has played 212 games for the Magpies since making his debut in 2015, and was All-Australian in 2022 as the Pies surged to a preliminary final in Craig McRae’s first season at the helm.
A noted antagonist, Maynard has also become one of the AFL’s most hated players outside Magpies supporters, notably earning the ire of Melbourne fans after poleaxing Angus Brayshaw in the 2023 qualifying final – for which he controversially escaped suspension.
But former great Jack Riewoldt believes Maynard would be an ideal fit for a Kangaroos line-up needing senior experience to nurture a swathe of young guns.
“It’s a lot of money and a lot of time for a 28-year-old – but if I was to go pluck a player out to go have an impact on the field,” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.
“Defensively, behind the ball, he’d be really important to them; but then from a culture aspect, and just that little bit of grunt, that little bit of blue-collar worker.
“He seems like a very loyal character, so $6 million over six years at 28 years of age – that’s a big carrot.”
Maynard will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, meaning the Kangaroos will not need to make a trade to secure his services.
However, the struggling club has missed out on a series of targets in recent years, with Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly and Andrew Gaff among the list of players to turn down significant money to don blue and white.
