Speaking at Melbourne Airport on Monday morning before Collingwood jetted out to the US for a two-week training camp at high altitude, Maxwell said the departure of several elder statesmen from the club would result in a fresher-faced Magpies list next season.
And that will mean the mature Pies will need to lead from the front.
“I suppose that’s why the older guys are going to be even more important this time around,” Maxwell said.
“The older guys now are probably 26 to 29 and we’ve only got Pebbles (Anthony Rocca) and Presti (Simon Prestigiacomo) who are over 30, and then Obe’s (Shane O’Bree) the next one."
Nathan Buckley, Scott Burns, James Clement, Brodie Holland, Paul Licuria, Rhyce Shaw and Shane Wakelin are among the older faces to leave the Lexus Centre since the end of 2007.
Burns’ departure has opened the captaincy race for the second successive season, however Maxwell said the position would be the furthest thing from his mind when he lands on foreign soil this week’s for the pre-season training camp.
While the camp in Arizona is mainly designed to give the Pies an edge in the fitness stakes, the club also sees the two-week trip as a valuable opportunity for its players to bond.
While several members of the Magpies’ leadership group will be on the trip, Maxwell says Collingwood -- which is yet to appoint a skipper for next season -- won’t be making the captaincy a focus of its overseas adventure.
The hard-working Maxwell is considered by many to be among the main chances to become the Pies third captain in as many seasons, following the retirements of Burns and Buckley.
Maxwell said if chosen he would consider it an honour but concedes he was not ready for the role last season.
“I don’t think I probably was [ready to captain the club] 12 months ago,” he said.
“And look I still wouldn’t know now if I was, but I don’t think anyone really knows until they’re thrust into that spotlight and into the job.”
Maxwell said whoever got the nod would not only be a capable leader, but have plenty of support.
“Everyone does it [the captaincy] differently and I think that whoever gets it – whether it be Frase (Josh Fraser) or Obes (Shane O’Bree) or if they go for someone like Tarkyn [Lockyer] or someone younger like Pendles (Scott Pendlebury) – I think that whoever it is we’ve got such a good support structure in our leadership group at the moment that they’re not going to have any problems.
“They’ll do a good job no matter who it is.”
