Former Essendon captain Tim Watson has praised Collingwood’s Chris Mayne, as the much-maligned recruit gets comfortable in his role at the Magpies.
Mayne has been heavily criticised for his performances since signing with the Pies before the 2017 season on a four-year deal reportedly worth two-million dollars.
However, he has held his spot in Nathan Buckley's side since Round 6, something Watson has noticed and thinks should be acknowledged.
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“I reckon we need to give him a little bit more credit because he had a horrendous year last year and he was knocked from pillar to post because he wasn’t performing,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“Chris Mayne is now performing the role that they recruited him to perform as that connecting type forward.
“He was pushing up the ground, timing the connection between defence and attack, putting on that pressure that he was renowned for as a Fremantle player.
“Credit where it’s due.
“It’s really tough for a player to find himself where he found himself, had they not had a contract in place, I would have thought they would have said, see ya later, thanks for coming.
“He has kept confidence in himself, I don’t know how he managed to do that, but full credit to him to be able to rebuild himself and then to start playing good, consistent football.”
Mayne is averaging 18 disposals this season, which included a career-high tally of 25 in the Round 8 loss to Geelong.