Collingwood star Brayden Maynard has admitted he was “shattered” after inadvertently knocking out Angus Brayshaw, but defended the act.
The incident occurred in the first quarter of Thursday’s qualifying final between the Magpies and Demons at the MCG before Collingwood booked a spot in the preliminary final with a 9. 6. (60) to 7. 11. (53) win.
Brayshaw was steaming forward and was knocked out after Maynard landed on him while attempting to smother the Melbourne star’s kick inside 50.
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He laid motionless on the turf for several minutes before he was taken off the ground on a stretcher.
“I don’t want to say too much, but it’s a footy act. I came forward, I jumped to smother the ball and unfortunately I got him on the way down,” Maynard told Seven after Collingwood’s seven-point win.
“I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. It’s all love, I absolutely love that guy (Brayshaw) to bits. It’s shattering what happened.”
Maynard says it is “stressful” not knowing how the match review officer will grade the incident.
“It is stressful, but you’ve sort of got to move on, it’s a bloody intense game and requires a lot mentally and also physically,” he said.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin revealed that Brayshaw was in good spirits in the rooms after the clash even though he’d been ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Maynard’s actions did not go down well with Brayshaw’s teammates, particularly Jack Viney, who engaged in a scuffle with the rugged Magpies defender as the Demons star was stretchered off the ground.
While the clash was purely accidental, it remains to be seen how the MRO assesses it, given the AFL’s emphasis on protecting players’ heads.
“Maynard plays on the edge, but in my view, there’s nothing in this,” Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield said on commentary during Seven’s coverage.
“You have a duty of care to yourself, to protect yourself as you come to land.
“Unfortunately in this game there’s contact that occurs. There is nothing in this for me.”
Dangerfield was backed up by AFL greats Matthew Richardson and Kane Cornes.
“What else can he do?” Richardson said on Seven’s coverage. “It’s hard to know what he can do there.”
The AFL’s 12-day concussion protocol means Brayshaw is automatically ruled out of Melbourne’s semi final against either Carlton or Sydney next week.