Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard suspects he ruptured the plantar fascia ligament in his foot early during Saturday night’s win over North Melbourne, adding to the long list of players sidelined in the past month at Collingwood.
The club will await scan results to confirm the ligament is torn before determining how long Maynard will be sidelined for and their recovery plan for him, however there is some hope he won’t be missing for an extended period.
Brayden Maynard has been battling a foot injury throughout 2025. Credit: AFL Photos
Collingwood defeated North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium without Darcy Moore, Scott Pendlebury, Dan McStay, Lachie Schultz, Jordan DeGoey, Bobby Hill or Steele Sidebottom and lost Maynard to injury in the first quarter.
It was the first match Collingwood had won without either Sidebottom or Pendlebury in their team since round 13, 2009.
Maynard, an unrestricted free agent, is being courted by several clubs including his round 11 opponent, the Kangaroos, but remains in discussions to remain at Collingwood beyond 2025.
He has battled a foot injury this season but has remained in reasonable form and an integral member of the Magpies line-up in the first half of the season.
Meanwhile, Essendon are hopeful Zach Reid can recover within a month from the hamstring injury he suffered during Friday night’s Dreamtime at the ’G match against Richmond.
The unlucky defender has been in great form in the first half of the season, before going down midway through the third quarter against the Tigers.
Reid suffered previous hamstring issues on his left hamstring, but Friday night’s injury related to the 23-year-old’s right hamstring. It was his 10th match for the season and just the 19th of his career since he was pick No.10 in the 2020 national draft.
Experienced forward Kyle Langford was also sidelined during that game with a quad strain and the club is yet to determine his recovery timeline.
Richmond’s youngster Sam Lalor also suffered a hamstring strain in that match, with the Tigers expected to take a cautious approach to the recovery of last year’s No.1 draft pick.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
