Collingwood star Brayden Maynard reveals the mental health battle that took a toll on his footy and left him needing professional help

Collingwood premiership-winning star Brayden Maynard has opened up about his ongoing battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which could have ended his career.

Maynard, 27, told the Keegan and Company Podcast that early in his career the anxiety disorder often saw him train with little or no sleep.

'I feel like there's a lot of people out there going through OCD,' the Magpies vice-captain said.

'I feel like it's pretty popular [common], and to talk about it, it's pretty tough.

'It did affect me sort of negatively. I had to go into training and play games with no sleep because that's how much it would affect me.

'I'd be up all night, checking [my phone]....when I look at it, and it's not stupid stuff, it's just stuff that you think, 'Why am I doing this?'

Maynard has since developed a number of tools to manage the disorder after consulting professionals in mental health.

They include being in a calm state as often as possible, meditation and limiting blue light intake.

He opted to speak out in a bid to help other people suffering from OCD.

'I'm still dealing with it everyday,' Maynard said.

'I'm happy to talk about it. To be able to sort of battle with OCD, to be able to talk about it, that actually hits different.'

Across his 186 career games in the AFL - all with Collingwood - Maynard has won a flag, been named an All-Australian and finished second in the club's Copeland Trophy twice in the past three seasons.

He was sent straight to the AFL Tribunal following a smother gone wrong against Melbourne Demons star Angus Brayshaw in week one of the finals - but was cleared to play.