Collingwood premiership captain Nick Maxwell announces immediate retirement due to ankle injury
- From: Herald Sun
- July 16, 2014
COLLINGWOOD premiership captain Nick Maxwell has announced his retirement at a press conference this afternoon.
A specialist yesterday told him he needed season-ending surgery to repair his injured ankle.
Maxwell, 31, was tipped to retire at the end of the season.
Speaking at the Westpac Centre on Wednesday afternoon, Maxwell — who was greeted with warm applause from a large media contingent — thanked the Pies for giving him his chance and his family for their support throughout his career.
“I just knew I had nothing left,” he said upon announcing he was giving the game away.
“I feel like I’ve given everything I could every training session, every game and unfortunately my body had just had enough.
“It’s disappointing I couldn’t finish out the year with the players but I’ll still be around ... trying to have an impact on the 2014 season off the field.”
GOING, GOING: YOUR CLUB’S MOST LIKELY RETIREES
Maxwell said breaking the news to his teammates was emotionally draining.
“I almost lost it at one stage. I kept it pretty brief,” he said.
Maxwell said he was motivated in the early part of his career by those who said he’d never make it to the top level.
“Early on I did, just wanting to prove people wrong and make a career out of AFL footy,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell was injured during Sunday’s 63-point loss to Essendon.
It was Maxwell’s first game for the Pies since injuring his calf against St Kilda in Round 11.
Maxwell said on Monday that he expected to play in Collingwood’s next game against Adelaide on Sunday week.
“To be honest, with ankles sometimes it can look really bad and it can turn out all right and sometimes it can look OK and end being really bad,” Maxwell said.
“I actually have no idea. It’s different to the one I did earlier in the year - same side but different injury.”
Maxwell has played 208 games for the Magpies and captained Collingwood’s 2010 premiership team.
Maxwell replaced Scott Burns as skipper of the Magpies in 2009 and stood down for Scott Pendlebury this year.
He was given No. 5 guernsey in the pre-season of 2008, the number worn by his current coach and former captain Nathan Buckley.
His best season was probably 2009, when he was named in the all-Australian team and was second in the club’s best-and-fairest.
Maxwell will be remembered as a player who got every bit of talent out of himself.
He was an inspiring defender, who help revolutionise the third-man into a marking contest.
His retirement is a major blow to the freefalling Pies. Collingwood sits in eighth position and has lost four of its past five matches.Originally published as ‘I had nothing left’: Maxwell