Brayden Maynard details emerge after Collingwood star involved in car crash

Details have emerged of a car crash involving Collingwood premiership star Brayden Maynard on Monday morning that ruled the Magpies defender out of side's AFL training session. Initial reports from 7 News Melbourne indicate the accident happened on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at around 6am on Monday morning.

Seven's report contained a statement from Victoria Police, who say witnesses allegedly saw Maynard's vehicle “swerving and cutting off other cars” before the crash. It's understood the car Maynard was driving collided with a tradesman's vehicle, although fortunately no one was injured in the accident.

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“Police have confirmed to Seven News that witnesses informed them that a car matching the description of Maynard’s was seen in the area swerving and cutting off other cars before 6am on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway,” the Channel Seven report said. “Maynard spent the Magpies’ weekend off with friends down at the beach, but witnesses have told Seven News the crash involved a tradesman’s car and that Maynard’s car also suffered minor damage in the collision.

Maynard had spent the weekend with friends at the beach after the Magpies squad was given the weekend off, but did not attend Collingwood's pre-season training on Monday as the club gathered details about the incident. The Magpies released a club statement about the accident on Monday night and confirmed that Maynard exchanged details with the driver of the other vehicle after the crash.

“Collingwood confirms Brayden Maynard was involved in a very minor car accident earlier this morning,” the Magpies’ statement read. “Importantly, no one was hurt. Brayden exchanged contact details with the other driver with only minor damage to the exterior of Brayden’s vehicle.”

Brayden Maynard had shoulder surgery after premiership win

Maynard had only recently returned to pre-season training with Collingwood after undergoing shoulder surgery in what was an eventful 2023. The big defender was a crucial part of the Magpies' premiership success and finished second in the club's best-and-fairest awards, as well as being central to the biggest AFL Tribunal case of the year.

Maynard was sent to the Tribunal but was ultimately cleared after a controversial smother incident on Melbourne's Angus Brayshaw that left the Demons star knocked out. The Collingwood defender jumped off the ground to smother a kick from Brayshaw in the first term of their qualifying final in September, but successfully challenged his rough conduct charge and was free to play in the remainder of the finals series.

The divisive incident sparked a review of relevant rules governing the smother of kicks or handballs, with the AFL informing clubs in December about a series of proposed amendments to Tribunal guidelines as well as further rules and regulations. The review has been taken under close consultation with AFL clubs, with final decisions set to made at February's AFL Commission meeting.

Any rule changes will then be introduced ahead of the 2024 AFL season. The proposed change for smothering dictates that when a player leaves the ground they "must take all reasonable steps to avoid making contact with their opponent's head and/or minimise the force of any high contact".

The smothering rule change was not the only proposal the tribunal put forward in an attempt to crack down on dangerous contact. Another proposed change is to crack down on run-down tackles, where a player catches an opponent from behind with so much momentum that "the tackling player significantly increased the force with which the tackled player was driven to ground".

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