Ready to go: Magpie dismisses contract negotiations and foot concerns

Collingwood’s vice captain, Brayden Maynard, is certain that he will play in the Magpies’ Opening Round matchup against Greater Western Sydney despite a persistent foot injury.

with the end of the season, the tenacious defender, who is an unrestricted free agent, hopes to sign a new contract with Collingwood.

Despite battling plantar fasciitis during the summer, Maynard and his star colleague Nick Daicos have backed themselves to be healthy for their season debut on March 9.

Maynard stated, “We’ll both play at the start of the season,”

“As you’ve seen on the news, ‘Whisper’ (Daicos) has been coping with it somewhat.

“You have to keep an eye on it since it can persist for a long time.

“However, ‘Whisper’ and the boys will be alright. We will be prepared for the Opening Round. Maynard has had foot problems since the previous season.

“For me personally, I’ve been going as good as I can be,” he stated.

“I have been struggling with a little foot problem for some time.

“But thank God, I am kind of ending it because it has been a pain in the ass. Overall, though, things are going great and the team is flying.

“Plantar fasciitis has been the cause. You can sort of function on it, which makes it one of the more unpleasant ailments.

“You may train to a certain degree, but it’s always kind of in the background. It’s only a matter of time till it passes entirely because I’ve done everything I needed to do to get here.

“It has to do with load control. We’re simply exerting every effort to eradicate it.”