CTV > Rnd9 Press Conference: MaxwellCOLLINGWOOD defender Nick Maxwell has called on his teammates to “pick up the slack” ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster with ladder leader Geelong.
Maxwell says on their day, or hopefully night in this case when his side tackles the Cats at the MCG on Friday, the Magpies are capable of beating any side in the competition.
But he says too much has been required of too few in recent weeks – especially in attack – and says Collingwood must rediscover its best to trouble the reigning premiers.
“Obviously for the past 18 months they’ve been the benchmark, so it’s going to be a tough one for us,” Maxwell said.
“I think when everyone’s working together and we’re doing the right things for each other, I think we can push anyone. I think we can beat anyone.
“Even though a couple of weeks ago Hawthorn gave us a belting … when we’re all playing well and all doing what we need to be doing [we can beat anyone].
“We haven’t got the stars of other clubs, we’re very even across the board and we need everyone performing to their best to be a good challenger for those good teams.”
Maxwell said Collingwood expected to regain in-form ruckman Josh Fraser, who trained earlier on Tuesday and looks to be on his way to recovering from a posterior cruciate injury to his right knee.
Maxwell, among the Magpies’ leadership group this year, says Friday night will not be about revenge for his team.
In what many believed to be the match of 2007, the Cats edged the Magpies by just five points in last year’s preliminary final.
Maxwell says that result – along with another close shave earlier in the season – will give Mick Malthouse’s men confidence despite them being “a long way off where we were last year”.
“We’ve still got a lot of improvement … and a lot of guys are still down,” he admitted.
“As a team we’re not working together as we were last year, so obviously we have to improve on that but you do sort of take confidence in the fact that we did push them a long way last year … Although there is a few different people out there, I think predominately they’re still pretty similar teams.
Maxwell said “a range of things” were missing for his side at the moment but having a greater spread of goalkickers – one of Geelong’s greatest strengths over the past 18 months – would go a long way towards a positive result.
“Obviously we sort of have to kick a few more goals, we’re sort of struggling a little bit down there,” he said.
“We’re leaving it to too few every now and then.”
Maxwell, a former Geelong Falcon as a junior, will adopt his usual hard-nosed approach come game time on Friday, but admitted he would spare the time to catch up with some of the opposition after the clash.
“Obviously Jimmy Bartel is one of my best mates,” he said.
“We tend not to talk to each other the week leading up to a game, but I’m going to see him [Bartel] on Saturday anyway afterwards.
“Hopefully I can get stuck into him because we might have pushed them a fair way and maybe have a win.”
