Latest news with #Gawn
West Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Pushing the best players to keep going regardless of age is helping AFL teams boost premiership chances
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin lauded superstar skipper Max Gawn as a 'master of his craft' and, as one of the AFL's best players at age 33, said the shift was on towards helping the aged elite play for as long as possible. As 36-year-old Brisbane Lions gun Dayne Zorko prepares to rack up a 50th consecutive match against Essendon at the Gabba on Thursday night, Collingwood recalled 37-year-old Scott Pendlebury and 34-year-old Steele Sidebottom for a blockbuster Friday clash with Hawthorn. The importance of all three veteran stars to their premiership-contending teams cannot be understated and the remarkable form of ruckman Gawn has helped propel the Demons to six straight wins and put them back in finals contention. As a raft of older players were taken by clubs in Wednesday night's mid-season rookie draft, Goodwin said the old adage that players would be on the decline after they turned 30 was no longer relevant. He pointed to 33-year-old Jake Melksham as another veteran Demon who was getting better 'the older he gets' and said the reliability of older players was becoming more than just an asset but a weapon. 'I think you have already seen that shift taking place. Clearly, players are playing for a little bit longer,' Goodwin said. 'Back in the day when you got to 30 you were starting to think about the end of your career and clubs were similar in terms of how they looked at players. 'Right now it comes down to an individualised thing and you are seeing right across the competition … a whole range of different guys who are mid 30 and playing exceptional footy and clubs are taking note of that. 'Jake Melksham for us, he seems to be getting better the old he gets and that experience, you just can't buy.' Gawn is on track for what would an eighth all-Australian blazer. At the MCG last Sunday, he destroyed former protege Brody Grundy in a huge Demons win over Sydney and Goodwin couldn't sing his captain's praises any higher. 'What you are seeing is someone who is the master of his craft,' he said. 'He has worked for 13 years on being a great ruckman and has really focused on what that looks like, both from a ruck perspective but also from an aerial perspective. What we are seeing is a guy who is incredibly professional. 'He looks after himself incredibly well and is playing to a really high level.'
West Australian
12-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Melbourne captain Max Gawn drops subtle hint on potential Luke Jackson trade
Melbourne captain Max Gawn has dropped a subtle hit about Luke Jackson potentially coming back to the Demons. 7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary first reported rival clubs , headlined by Melbourne, were monitoring Jackson's situation. The 23-year-old is contracted with Fremantle until 2029 after signing an initial seven-year deal, and has consistently told the Dockers he loves the club and living in the west. Jackson initially shot down talks of a trade on the eve of the season, but Cleary said on The Tradies podcast last week that it's 'still well and truly still alive.' And Gawn made mention of a potential trade when speaking on Triple M on Monday. The superstar ruck was talking about the form of former teammate Jesse Hogan, who is dominating at GWS. Hogan began his career at Melbourne before requesting a trade home to Western Australia after four years. He joined Fremantle but only played 19 games in two years due to injuries and off-field issues. He then joined GWS where he has become one of the best forwards in the game. Hogan won the Coleman Medal last year with 69 goals and appears well on his way to adding a second this year after slotting seven in Sunday's win over Geelong to take his tally to 25. Gawn, who was delighted to see Hogan tearing it up, explained his theory behind Western Australians moving back home when he made reference to Jackson. 'WA is an unbelievable to place to be when you're 18, 19, like it's a great party and these Perth boys go back at 22 and all their mates have sort of grown up a bit,' he said on Triple M . 'There's so many people that got a trade back to WA and then came back, not mentioning one that potentially could be coming back soon ... let's hope.' Host Mick Molloy's ears pricked up at the comment, to which Gawn quickly said he was only 'going off what The Agenda Setters say' and pointed to Channel 7's Nick Riewoldt. Jackson has maintained a close relationship with his premiership coach Simon Goodwin after joining the Dockers ahead of the 2023 season. Fremantle is also heavily pursuing a trade for contracted Melbourne small forward Kozzy Pickett and any move for Jackson could form part of a transaction. Jackson would also be the perfect long-term replacement for Gawn, who despite still being the premier ruckman in the league turns 34 later this year.
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Max Gawn drops subtle hint on potential Luke Jackson trade
Melbourne captain Max Gawn has dropped a subtle hit about Luke Jackson potentially coming back to the Demons. 7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary first reported rival clubs, headlined by Melbourne, were monitoring Jackson's situation. The 23-year-old is contracted with Fremantle until 2029 after signing an initial seven-year deal, and has consistently told the Dockers he loves the club and living in the west. Jackson initially shot down talks of a trade on the eve of the season, but Cleary said on The Tradies podcast last week that it's 'still well and truly still alive.' And Gawn made mention of a potential trade when speaking on Triple M on Monday. The superstar ruck was talking about the form of former teammate Jesse Hogan, who is dominating at GWS. Hogan began his career at Melbourne before requesting a trade home to Western Australia after four years. He joined Fremantle but only played 19 games in two years due to injuries and off-field issues. He then joined GWS where he has become one of the best forwards in the game. Hogan won the Coleman Medal last year with 69 goals and appears well on his way to adding a second this year after slotting seven in Sunday's win over Geelong to take his tally to 25. Gawn, who was delighted to see Hogan tearing it up, explained his theory behind Western Australians moving back home when he made reference to Jackson. Max Gawn has dropped a subtle hint on a potential trade for Luke Jackson. Credit: Getty 'WA is an unbelievable to place to be when you're 18, 19, like it's a great party and these Perth boys go back at 22 and all their mates have sort of grown up a bit,' he said on Triple M. 'There's so many people that got a trade back to WA and then came back, not mentioning one that potentially could be coming back soon ... let's hope.' Host Mick Molloy's ears pricked up at the comment, to which Gawn quickly said he was only 'going off what The Agenda Setters say' and pointed to Channel 7's Nick Riewoldt. Jackson has maintained a close relationship with his premiership coach Simon Goodwin after joining the Dockers ahead of the 2023 season. Fremantle is also heavily pursuing a trade for contracted Melbourne small forward Kozzy Pickett and any move for Jackson could form part of a transaction. Jackson would also be the perfect long-term replacement for Gawn, who despite still being the premier ruckman in the league turns 34 later this year.
7NEWS
12-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Melbourne captain Max Gawn drops subtle hint on potential Luke Jackson trade
Melbourne captain Max Gawn has dropped a subtle hit about Luke Jackson potentially coming back to the Demons. 7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary first reported rival clubs, headlined by Melbourne, were monitoring Jackson's situation. The 23-year-old is contracted with Fremantle until 2029 after signing an initial seven-year deal, and has consistently told the Dockers he loves the club and living in the west. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Jackson initially shot down talks of a trade on the eve of the season, but Cleary said on The Tradies podcast last week that it's 'still well and truly still alive.' And Gawn made mention of a potential trade when speaking on Triple M on Monday. The superstar ruck was talking about the form of former teammate Jesse Hogan, who is dominating at GWS. Hogan began his career at Melbourne before requesting a trade home to Western Australia after four years. He joined Fremantle but only played 19 games in two years due to injuries and off-field issues. He then joined GWS where he has become one of the best forwards in the game. Hogan won the Coleman Medal last year with 69 goals and appears well on his way to adding a second this year after slotting seven in Sunday's win over Geelong to take his tally to 25. Gawn, who was delighted to see Hogan tearing it up, explained his theory behind Western Australians moving back home when he made reference to Jackson. Max Gawn has dropped a subtle hint on a potential trade for Luke Jackson. Credit: Getty 'WA is an unbelievable to place to be when you're 18, 19, like it's a great party and these Perth boys go back at 22 and all their mates have sort of grown up a bit,' he said on Triple M. 'There's so many people that got a trade back to WA and then came back, not mentioning one that potentially could be coming back soon ... let's hope.' Host Mick Molloy's ears pricked up at the comment, to which Gawn quickly said he was only 'going off what The Agenda Setters say' and pointed to Channel 7's Nick Riewoldt. Jackson has maintained a close relationship with his premiership coach Simon Goodwin after joining the Dockers ahead of the 2023 season. Fremantle is also heavily pursuing a trade for contracted Melbourne small forward Kozzy Pickett and any move for Jackson could form part of a transaction. Jackson would also be the perfect long-term replacement for Gawn, who despite still being the premier ruckman in the league turns 34 later this year.
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Max gone? Mitchell wants to see back of Dees skipper
Sam Mitchell reckons he isn't alone in wishing Melbourne captain Max Gawn would ride off into the sunset and stop causing headaches for AFL opponents. Red-hot Gawn is in vintage form, steering the Demons (3-5) back into finals contention after a horror five-match losing run to start the season. And Hawthorn coach Mitchell admits the task of stopping the seven-time All-Australian ruckman has been playing on his mind ahead of their clash at the MCG on Saturday. "He's universally loved, Max Gawn," Mitchell said, quickly adding a caveat. "Except for all the opposition coaches who just wish his age would catch up with him and he could go off into the sunset as maybe the greatest ruckman ever, and just retire and give us all a few less headaches. "Unfortunately he's in great form, and Meeky (Lloyd Meek) has been in really good form for us too, so that's going to be a really great contest. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they go about it. "I just wish (Gawn) would have a week off or something like that, but we'll back Meeky in to get that job done." Gawn, 33, has starred in Melbourne's season-saving wins over Fremantle, Richmond and West Coast over the past three weeks. The Hawks (6-2) have also beaten the lowly Tigers and Eagles in the last fortnight, but haven't faced off against the Demons since March last year. Mitchell noted his Melbourne counterpart Simon Goodwin had made significant changes this season, and reiterated his belief that the 15th-placed Demons' best football is ahead of them as they adapt to a new method. "I feel like they're improving their game and they're really starting to master the couple of tweaks that they've made to their game style this year," Mitchell said. "Watching the way they go about it, their ladder position is probably a bit misleading." Hawthorn cult figure Nick Watson became the third player fined by the AFL for an obscene gesture this season after flipping the bird to Richmond fans last round. Mitchell laughed when asked if he had spoken to Watson about the incident but said he has "no issue" with such fines being handed out. "I'm not going to tell you who I talk to what about, but the AFL has an incentive to not do it and I think that's probably where it could stop," Mitchell said.
