Christopher Mayne Biography

Chris Mayne announces he will retire at the end of the 2021 season.

"From a family perspective, Britt and I have two young children and we want them to settle and share more time with our families in Perth. From a football perspective, I don't feel that I can squeeze much more out of myself," Mayne said.

"I still love the game and want to continue trying to get a kick at some level next year but at the highest level I recognise it's getting tougher, not easier."

Chris Mayne is likely to sit out Collingwood's pre-season games after being concussed during match simulation.

Collingwood is expected to be without Chris Mayne for the rest of the home and away season after surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone following a heavy collision with Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps.

"It was a solid contest, we all saw the impact and he's a big boy, Patty Cripps, and he was going flat knacker," Pies coach Nathan Buckley told Fox Footy.

"He (Mayne) thought he had him (Cripps) cold coming in from his blind spot but he collected his shoulder in the wrong spot and (suffered a) depressed cheekbone and he's (gone) to correct that."

Chris Mayne spends the night in hospital, having suffered a suspected fractured after a brutal collision with Patrick Cripps in the Magpies' win over Carlton.

Mayne braced to tackle Cripps in a crucial contest in the fourth quarter, but was collected by the point of the Blues co-captain's shoulder and walked from the field aided by club medics.

Chris Mayne signs a one-year contract extension that will tie him to the Magpies until the end of 2021.

"I'm really pleased to have another year to share in the Collingwood experience," Mayne said.

"The journey so far has been tremendously rewarding, personally and professionally. There have been a few twists in the tale but so much to be grateful for and the faith we have shown in each other makes me very proud."

As he prepares to represent the Magpies in the 2018 Grand Final, Chris Mayne reflects on being part of Fremantle's losing Grand Final side in 2013, and on his Dockers skipper at the time, Matthew Pavlich.

"He's such a champion of the game with 350 games, 700 goals, best and fairests and All Australians. He would give all that up to win one Grand Final," Mayne said about Pavlich.

"I believe knowing him he 100 per cent would [swap it all for a flag]. That was his biggest thing – enjoy the little rewards you get along the way but it ideally is all about playing in a premiership.

"I know for a fact if I was able to get ultimate success he'd be thrilled for me."

Strung by criticism of his form halfway through 2017, Chris Mayne and his partner cancelled their summer holidays and decided upon a strategy for him to return to his best form.

They put together a fitness plan, which combined with his vegan diet, put him in what he believed was the best possible position to reclaim his place in the Magpies team.

Mayne has now played 18 games so far in 2018, locking away a key role in a side that has returned to the finals for the first time in five years with a top-four finish.

"When we got to the end of the year, it wasn't about keeping in that type of lull, it was about what I could do now," Mayne said.

"It was 'I'm here for another three years – and hopefully more – so what can I do to put myself in the best shape and headspace to have a crack at being a part of this team?'

"That's what I wanted, I just wanted to be a part of success and play finals footy and have another crack at a premiership. I want to get the job done."

Chris Mayne's father goes on the attack via Twitter after coach Nathan Buckley claimed there had been "a few things mixed up" with Mayne's recruitment last year.

"Bulls---, Buckley was in those meetings, now hedging bets and a player suffers through zero fault of his own," Mayne's father Steve said in the first of three tweets that have since been deleted.

"Perhaps you should ask if Buckley was in the original meeting, and the role discussed? 2 sides to a story.

"Really! Bottom 2 or 3 for forward pressure? Who did you recruit to play that role? gave him 3 games. now throw him under the bus."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley reveals matters were a little muddled with the recruitment of Chris Mayne on a lucrative four-year deal from Fremantle.

Mayne has struggled for form in his first season at the Magpies, with the forward spending most of the year in the VFL after kicking just two goals in three senior games - with his last coming in round three.

"The director of football was flipping around, and there were a few things that happened in there that weren't ideal," Buckley said.

"It's been a tough year for 'Mayney', and we've got some decisions to make going forward with that. [It] hasn't been a great result for the first 12 months."

Chris Mayne is keen to repay the faith Collingwood showed by signing him as a free agent in the off-season, with the hard-working forward believing the fresh start will be the best thing for his football career.

"I've found myself at a team that I'm excited about being part of. It's a young football side willing to learn and work hard every day, and it makes you get up in morning and be excited to go to training, about what the possibility may be," Mayne said.

"I've got four years here, to work hard, and still hopefully a few years after that, so I'll just do whatever I can for the club, play with my heart on my sleeve all the time and just get in there ready to go."

Collingwood is reported to have offered a lucrative deal worth up to $2 million for four years to Chris Mayne.

But Collingwood list manager Derek Hine said further talks needed to take place before the deal could be completed for the unrestricted free agent.

"We're in the process of working through things with Chris and his management," Hine said.

"We haven't had a rock-solid commitment just yet, but we're hopeful that's going to happen.

"The tenure and the remuneration is still in discussion."

Chris Mayne has decided his football career needs a fresh start and will meet three Victorian clubs next week as he tries to settle on a new football home.

The media have reported that Mayne will meet Collingwood, Richmond and North Melbourne, having decided to call time on his career at Fremantle after nine seasons.

Chris Mayne says training as a defender during the pre-season has improved his game as a forward this year.

"As a defender you kind of have an appreciation of what they go through with the ball coming in as many times as it did in the practice matches," Mayne said.

"I felt like the ball was coming in every second.

"You kind of have an understanding of little tricks that they use, that you might not have had in your game, that you can build into your game."

Dockers coach Ross Lyon says a tweak to Chris Mayne's role has seen him return to his best.

The 26-year-old had a relatively disappointing 2014 after fighting a back problem through the pre-season kicking just 13 goals in 23 games.

However, Lyon said the coaching staff identified that Mayne needed to play a little closer to goal and take on the responsibilities of a tall forward in 2015.

"We said we were using him a bit too high so his hunting territory has changed a bit," Lyon said.

"We just needed to reposition him and he is playing some pretty good footy for us."

Chris Mayne has kicked an amazing 70 goals and only 14 behinds in the last two years after kicking 61.44 in his four seasons in the AFL.

"I felt in 2011 that I wasn't trusted with the ball in hand," Mayne said.

"Being a part of the forward group, you want to have that trust [from] your midfield, in that when they've done all that hard work you can just finish it off for them."

Chris Mayne is back in Fremantle's leadership group for 2013 after being left out in 2012.

"We've seen Chris mature as a person and a footballer over the past couple of years, and clearly … the players saw that he has improved in some areas of leadership, and because of his actions he's been voted back in," Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich said.

Fremantle midfielder Ryan Crowley has capped a stunning revival by taking out his first club champion award with 146 votes.

"My career at Fremantle was almost definitely over," an emotional Crowley said.

"The club was looking for a trade and if not it was 50-50 at that point.

"Ross (Lyon) came in and we had a pretty frank and honest discussion about where I was at and he gave me great confidence.

"He told me if you do the work and get your body right, I know there's a place for you … I can't speak highly enough of Ross and everything he's done."

Chris Mayne was second with 142 votes.

A full pre-season and elevation to the leadership group has Fremantle forward Chris Mayne confident he can deliver on his potential.

"Other years I haven't had a full pre-season and then sometimes I've been a bit worried - am I fit enough, are my skills under pressure, under fatigue good enough?" Mayne said.

"But being able to train every main session, do all the weights, and do the majority of all the sessions, it finally gives you that self-belief that you are fit enough, and when it comes to game time you can hopefully put all of that together."

Three first-half goals to Chris Mayne in his return game against the Bulldogs brings back fond memories of his debut season.

"It's been such a long wait with just being in rehab and watching the boys play, so it's such a good feeling to get out there again with them and start playing with them again," Mayne said.

"It's been as tough as anything could be really. You're sitting there every day watching the boys train and watching them play on the weekend ... and you're working hard in the gym and working hard in the pool and getting no reward for it on the weekend.

"You just seem to be doing the same thing over and over and over, but with such great teammates and club ... they keep you ticking along and they keep you excited, so with them behind me, I could do anything. That's why I was able to play today."