PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THIS IS JUST A FANSITE, IT IS NOT NICK MAXWELL HIMSELF. I HAVE TAKEN IT UPON MYSELF TO SHOW THE MAN SOME APPRECIATION!!!!
IN THE BEGINNING
Nick Maxwell was born on June 3, 1983 in Victoria.
He was recruited from the Geelong Falcons U18's and he also played for Nth Ballarat in the VFL before being picked up in the rookie draft by Collingwood in 2002.
He was promoted in 2004 for Tom Davidson who went on the long term injury list.
He debuted on May 21, 2004 in Rnd 9 against the Adealide Crows.
He went on to play 10 matches for the season as a hard running defender.
He was elevated onto the Senior List for the 2005 season.
SEASON 2005
Before Nick got a game in '05 he spent 2 weeks in the stands until he had a breakthrough at the expense of Ryan Lonie, who was dropped due to poor form after Rnd 2.
Nick played in Rnd 3 and did not miss another match for the season. Hie presence got more physical and he showed he could be a top class defender and his skills were improving every week.
His best two matches for the season were against the Swans at Telstra Stadium and the Lions at the GABBA.
He went on to boot 6 goals for the season and made them count at times that were needed in the quarter to help with the momentum.
He was only 22 at this stage and he was playing like a man on a mission.
SEASON 2006
Nick had a solid start to the '06 season. He was putting his small frame into every contest, playing an intimidating style of football. In Rnd 10, Collingwood took on the Brisbane Lions and put his body on the line to retrieve a hard ball get and was crunched by Jonathan Brown and in the collision he broke his leg. He missed the next 6 weeks with the fracture.
After coming back from his leg, Nick played the remaining games for the season.
Unfortunately the Pies bowed out of the '06 finals with a disappointing performance against the Dogs in the first elimination final.
He also got involved in the AFLPA as Collingwood's Alternate Delegate alongside Nathan Buckley.
SEASON 2007
Nick played in every single game this year - 25 games in all. He really stepped up and improved in all aspects of his game and showed many people why his spot in the side is warranted!!
He showed pure grunt and true passion wearing the Collingwood jumper.
He had a bit of a rough patch in the middle of the season, but he picked up again when it mattered and played a very important role in the Pies finals campaign.
Nick showed why he is such an important part of the Collingwood team during the finals, lifting when it mattered and making sure the opposition earned every possession they made. He was fierce with his tackles and also kept his opponents as quiet as he could.
His season could be defined by his bone crushing tackles and it was clearly on display in the Preliminary Final against the Cats when he laid one of the best tackles ever seen on Max Rooke (they arent only my words either haha)
The Pies bowed out of the '07 finals with a narrow loss to the Cats in the Prelim. final but showed an awful to suggest teams should be worried in the new season.
Nick has also shown himself to be quite a leader on and off the field this year, and was rewarded when he was named in the 2007 leadership group. Many have tipped this young man to take over the reins as the next Collingwood Captain. He has my vote!!!
He has also taken on the responsibility of an AFLPA Executive delegate, taking over from Nathan Buckley this year.
This year Nick has been nominated for the AFLPA's Robert Rose Award for the most courageous player.
Nick finished his season off in style by winning both the Darren Millane Award for Best Clubman and also the Gavin Brown Award for the most courageous.
Congratulations Nick.
Season 2008 is coming and Nick is in for a big one and lets hope he can add Collingwood Captain to his already outstanding resume.
