Murray Magpies sign Jarrah Maksymow

Maksymow, who was only released from jail in February, put pen to paper with the Magpies on Thursday night.

The lightning-quick left-footer, who was an Ovens and Murray representative in 2014, had also been linked with Hume league rival Lockhart.

Coach Corey Lambert was confident the Magpies could provide a stable environment for Maksymow, who spent time behind bars at Junee after a series of serious assaults on the Border in late 2014 and early 2015.

Lambert said the Magpies had voted at committee level to recruit Maksymow and his contract had strict conditions.

“It’s not something we’ve rushed into and it was not an easy decision because of his past,” he said.

“We made sure we spoke to everyone who needs to be spoken to, including the playing group, and we came to the conclusion that we can provide a good environment for him.

“We want to provide an environment that can forge a better life for him and his family, now that he has a young child.

“His son was born while he was in jail and that really hurts him. He does not want to go back in any capacity.

“We have a lot of experience in our group this year with Shannon Gilson, Derek Murray, Josh Maher and myself.

“We’ve built a lot of respect up within the wider footy community in the last two years and we don’t want that tarnished in any way so we made sure with Jarrah that he knew what it is that we’re trying to achieve and he’s willing to work towards that with us.

“He served his time for what he did and now he’s got nothing hanging over his head.

“He’s really committed to looking after his child and his partner and family and getting it right and we think with that type of mindset, we can provide an opportunity for him to get it right.

“If he misbehaves or goes outside what’s been laid down, he knows that will be the end with us but we like to think of the positives instead and that if we can help this young fella improve with the experience we have around the place, we see that as a big plus for our football club.”

Lambert was excited about what Maksymow could bring to the field for the Magpies, who will kick off their season against CDHBU on April 9.

“He’s obviously a great player, having won North Albury’s best and fairest and been in the Ovens and Murray interleague side,” he said.

“Talentwise, there’s no question about his ability but it’s not only about that.

“I know a lot of people are looking in at the moment thinking it’s only a matter of time before he gets it wrong but if that’s the case, he knows he’s on a zero-chance policy with us and he actually installed that himself.

“I’ve played with lots of blokes with issues and footy clubs have really helped them along the way.”