Swan's off-field lifestyle came under scrutiny late last year, but Maxwell said the 2011 Brownlow medallist's efforts on the training track had proved his commitment to the cause.
"With 'Swanny', we know he's a very different guy," Maxwell told Melbourne radio station SEN on Monday morning.
"Everyone's got a different attitude and different issues, but Swanny's been, I think with Harry O'Brien, probably the two most impressive guys over our whole pre-season.
"He just looks in such good shape and so fit – I haven't seen him like this in the 11 years I've been playing here with him. It just shows that he is working at all those things.
"He knows he's not going to be a Luke Ball – he's not going to be someone who's football, football, football the whole time.
"I guess you always ask those questions, whether he had the same commitment that everyone thinks a Luke Ball might have (and) whether he'd be a better player or not (with the same commitment).
"But to me it's also, 'Hang on, he might just be too footied out if everything's just about football.
"We know the way that Dane goes about it and we don't (get) dictated to by what people in the outside world think; we're going to be dictated to by the standards that we set as the club and as a team, and Dane's also going to live by them."
Maxwell insisted the Magpies hadn't been concerned about Swan's lifestyle choices, but more by the perception they created.
"I guess because he is someone who's a bit more carefree, or seen to be carefree (by) other people, then they can start to think that, but we know when he comes to the club (he) trains hard, and we know when we lose it hurts him as much as it hurts anyone else, so we know that football means a lot to him," he said.
Maxwell also revealed that coach Nathan Buckley was delegating more to his assistants and senior players in his second season in charge and forecast "a few ball-movement tweaks".
As for his own leadership, Maxwell, who will be out of contract at the end of 2013, said he was keen to continue as captain for a fifth season.
"According to the coach and my reviews, last year was one of the best years I've had as a player and I think my leadership has been good as well," he said.
