By Marcus Beeck
As the AFL mid-season draft fast approaches, one of Coburg’s very own is hoping to be picked by a club on the 1st of June, and fulfil his lifelong dream of playing in the AFL.
Jack Maibaum has been a rock in the Lions defence all year ranking second in the VFL for intercept marks and possessions, but most importantly he has made the most of his touches as averaging 76.9% with his disposal efficiency.
Lions CEO, Sebastian Spagnuolo, recalls that when Maibaum first joined the club he was low on confidence in both his body and ability after being delisted from the Sydney Swans following a number of injuries.
“Being at Coburg has allowed him [Maibaum] to firstly get that confidence back in his body which has then allowed his on field strengths to shine through,” said Spagnuolo.
“He’s a tough competitor and we respect him so much for what he brings to our club. He’s a team first player that works on himself but also wants his teammates to be the best they can be.”
Spagnuolo also added, “Jack is more than capable of getting back into the AFL system and not only be on an AFL list but can go on to have a prolonged career at AFL level”.
When reflecting on his time at the Lions, Maibaum agreed that the club had been very beneficial to his own footballing journey, as it had helped reignite the love he has for football.
“Being in Sydney, being a professional full-time athlete, life can get pretty serious pretty quickly, and it can be stressful,” Maibaum said.
“But coming to Coburg has really taken a bit of the pressure off and just made me enjoy the people that I’m around, and enjoy footy for what it is, which is a game.”
Maibaum has been stoic in the Lions defence since he joined us at the start of the 2021 season, his ability to intercept the opposition’s attacking play is a strong arrow to his quiver. But it’s not a skill that has come easily to Maibaum, but rather one he has had to work on.
He hopes this along with his other skills as a key defender will hopefully help him to stick out from other draft candidates.
“I feel very strong and very confident taking away leading lanes from forwards and bodying up some of the bigger forwards when I need to. Just to turn the ball over and get it going back our way.”
Maibaum’s standout game for the year was against Box Hill when he amassed 24 disposals and nine marks while patrolling our backline.
Having been through the AFL draft system in 2016 when he was recruited by the Swans with pick 45, Maibaum knows how to handle the nerves and anxiety that come before a draft.
“I put no pressure and expectation on myself for the mid-season draft, I would absolutely love to be picked up and that is still my goal.”
“But there is still a draft at the end of the year too, I still believe that I’m the best key defender not on an AFL list and I’ll just keep working game in, game out and see where it takes me.”
Maibaum’s impact in games for Coburg certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, as his ability to intercept marks and lock down the opposition’s best forward helped him earn a spot at centre-half back in the 2021 VFL Team of The Year.
From all of us here at the club, we wish Jack the very best ahead of the upcoming AFL mid-season draft next week.
