The issue of 'tanking' has become a hot topic in the wake of Dean Bailey's press conference after he was sacked as Melbourne coach.
Bailey said: "I had no hesitation at all in the first two years in ensuring the club was well placed for draft picks."
Although Maxwell acknowledges that teams often lose because they are trying to develop players for the future, he does not think that constitutes tanking.
"Personally, I don't think it exists because when you stick 22 players out there they've all got something to play for individually and as a team," he said on Thursday.
"You can't tell me at any stage that a player would be slowing down or not wanting to win because we're all competitive beasts by nature.
"You speak to any of our partners or any of our mates - we try to win everything that we do as footballers and that's what makes players as good as what they are their job.
"Everything they do, whether it's a little handball drill at training or trying to beat your opponent on game-day, we're out there to win."
Hardwick backed Maxwell's stance.
"I think when seasons are generally over then coaches will experiment with players in certain positions," he said.
"We're probably no different, given where we're at at the moment.
"But to say players tank is ridiculous. Players are playing for their livelihood, for their team, and they'll never take a backward step at any contest.
"Coaches will look at certain players in different positions, but by no means are they tanking.
"They're experimenting and that's fine."
