Chris Mayne is one of a number of journeymen at Collingwood who had a good run while the club was contending for finals, but a combination of injury and form has seen them drop off since then. If coach Nathan Buckley is told from the club hierarchy to play the kids it will be B-grade veterans like Mayne who play out their lucrative contracts in the magoos, while the draftees are thrown to the senior wolves. Mayne's role has drifted from wing to the flanks at times, and his fantasy value is fairly low at this point with significant scoring floor and job security issues.
Chris Mayne is one of a number of journeymen at Collingwood who had a good run while the club was contending for finals, but a combination of injury and form has seen them drop off since then. If coach Nathan Buckley is told from the club hierarchy to play the kids it will be B-grade veterans like Mayne who play out their lucrative contracts in the magoos, while the draftees are thrown to the senior wolves. Mayne's role has drifted from wing to the flanks at times, and his fantasy value is fairly low at this point with significant scoring floor and job security issues.
Chris Mayne started the year in a lot of fantasy sides despite his job security at Collingwood being less than stellar, as his dual position flexibility was very useful. So he has proven for the Magpies as well, with a raft of injuries including the latest one to Brody Mihocek strengthening his position as a key forward with added responsibility of rotating in ruck. Pundits have even called for Brodie Grundy to play more forward to replace Mihocek's workrate, which could unlock further scoring options for the ex-Swan. If you're still holding him, he's worth a look as a starter.
Chris Mayne has just signed a new extension to his contract, almost unthinkable in the year after he transferred from Fremantle when he was mouldering in the VFL.
Don't buy shares in Mayne
Despite a brief to run forward from the wing, Chris Mayne could manage only three goals last season while chalking up uncontested possessions. He occasionally played defensive forward jobs on rebounders such as Shannon Hurn. 11 of his 19 games resulted in fantasy scores above the midfielder baseline. Solely as a fantasy midfielder, he does a job for the team without being reliable for draft fantasy purposes. Given the prospect for first-year endurance freak Jay Rantall to push for selection in his spot, it's hard to part with anything more than a tail end selection for the former Docker.
Mayne finally takes wing
After a season of highly-paid VFL exile Chris Mayne’s 2018 was much better, becoming a reliable contributor after selection in round 6. He spent the majority of his time on the wing and had minimal scoring impact, compared to his career-high 35 goals in 2013 as a stay-at-home forward. Mayne’s greatest fantasy days appear to be behind him, as he may have been important to the team in his new role but his powers of accumulation are not great. He can be excused as a late round selection, but don’t expect the ex-Docker to reach the heights of days gone by.
Chris Mayne has had two opportunities to win games off his own boot in 2018, and come up with no premiership points for his efforts. That sort of thing is more down to luck than some would care to admit, and it's his fantasy prospects that interest us at FanFooty. On that score he is still to inconsistent to merit a start every week in draft leagues, as befits his role drifting across half forward, where he lives or dies on the supply from upfield and pressure levels from oppo defenders. Next year he should rise again like fellow top pick Hugh McCluggage.
Mayne stuck in second
Despite two million reasons to play Chris Mayne in the seniors after signing him on a four year contract last off season, he saw only the first three games before exile to the VFL, where he put up much the same numbers as he had at AFL level across most of his nine-year Docker career of 15 touches, six marks and a goal or two per game. A plan to send him back to Fremantle in a salary dump deal fell through during the last trade week. The Pies hierarchy knew what they were getting with Mayne, and even though he didn't carve up the VFL maybe it's just that he doesn't have a higher gear. Being the poor man's Tom T. Lynch is not a bad thing. Plenty of AFL clubs would kill for that, as linking up consistently across half forward is an underappreciated talent, and Collingwood's forward structure needs it more than most. His value is all about job security, a saga to be played out in the JLT.
