Brodie Grundy dropped by Melbourne: Jon Ralph analysis on Max Gawn, Demons’ ruck call

Melbourne says Brodie Grundy could spend “some time” in the VFL as it prepares to let Max Gawn lead its push for a top-four spot. Does that make the ruck trade a failure? Jon Ralph analyses the big selection call.

Brodie Grundy has been left out of Melbourne’s side to take on Brisbane. Picture: Getty Images

Brodie Grundy could be set for an extended run out of the Melbourne senior side after being dropped to focus on his forward craft on Thursday night.

The Demons dumped Grundy for second-year forward Jacob van Rooyen after diminishing returns from the ex-Pie and Max Gawn as resting forwards.

Grundy is contracted until 2027 with the Pies contributing around $250,000 of his $900,000-per-year deal, after Collingwood traded him in the belief they were paying too much for their ruck stocks.

Melbourne takes on Brisbane on Friday night but VFL affiliate Casey has a bye this week, which means his next chance to play football is on Saturday week at Coburg City Oval’s Piranha Park against Coburg.

Brodie Grundy playing VFL for Collingwood against Southport.

Demons football boss Alan Richardson said the club said he would spend “some time” in the VFL, so it seems likely Gawn will return to his key ruck role for the foreseeable future.

“We have been transparent that we are continuing to look for ways to be more effective in front of the ball,” Richardson said.

“We really like the impact that Brodie is having in the ruck, but think he would benefit from more time as a forward.

“To provide him with this opportunity, he will spend some time in the VFL and focus on refining his forward craft. “To Brodie’s credit, he is completely aligned and on board with this plan. This is a testament to Brodie’s character and the type of person he is.”

Van Rooyen has kicked 17 goals in his 12 games this year and has never failed to hit the scoreboard in his young AFL career.

FATAL MISTAKE OR SHOCK TWEAK? GRUNDY AXING ANALYSED

Simon Goodwin sold Max Gawn the Brodie Grundy experiment on the basis he could either win a seventh All Australian jumper or strive for a second AFL premiership.

As it turns out, Max Gawn tearing the competition apart from the centre square as the dominant ruckman actually isn’t a bad formula for lifting premiership cups.

As round 18 approaches the Demons have pulled the rip cord, dropping former Pies best-and-fairest winner Grundy for Friday’s clash against Brisbane.

On face value it is a sexy story – million dollar recruit gets the boot.

But in reality it is just another selection tweak from Simon Goodwin at exactly the right time – before it gets too late in the year – in an attempt to bridge the gap against competition runaways Collingwood and Port Adelaide.

For most of the season Melbourne has sidelined or minimised its most dangerous asset, a player building a resume to challenge Simon Madden and Dean Cox as the greatest ruckmen since Polly Farmer and John Nicholls.

Now for at least a week, Gawn is unleashed again and the football world gets to see the results.

Brodie Grundy has been left out of Melbourne’s side to take on Brisbane. Picture: Getty Images

Put either of Gawn or Grundy into the centre square this year and a Melbourne side built on contest has put up strong numbers.

But dig a little deeper into the forward numbers and Goodwin’s decision to tweak the set-up against an elite intercepting Lions outfit smacks of common sense.

Grundy has kicked only two goals in the past five weeks (with 10 total for the season).

Gawn has kicked just one goal in the past seven games (with just seven for the season).

Gawn’s goal was a lovely bomb outside 50m, Grundy’s pair a clever snap from a ruck contest and an uncontested mark against Isaac Quaynor.

But they do not take marks from contested situations or on the lead inside 50m.

Of all players to be targeted inside 50, Gawn is ranked 156th of 168 players for retention and Grundy is ranked 159th.

Van Rooyen has kicked 17 goals by himself in his debut season as a much more consistent lead-and – mark and pack-crashing forward.

Gawn is still playing 67 per cent of his game time in the ruck but has less chance to grind a rival into the ground with sheer power running and that intercept marking which has been such a feature of his game.

Melbourne best-and-fairest winner David Schwarz told the Herald Sun on Thursday he backed Goodwin’s move strongly.

“I think it’s much better for Max. I would have thought Grundy’s form has been better than Max. I don’t think Max has been right since he copped that injury. But I would rather them tinker now than the first week of the finals or going out in straight sets like last year,” he said.

“I have been waiting for the (Brown-Van Rooyen) combination. It causes the most heartache for defenders. One bloke in Brown who leads in straight lines and creates space behind him and the other bloke who sits on blokes’ heads and crashes packs. It hasn’t been tried before and now we get to see it.”

This decision does not stamp Grundy’s papers, it simply gives Goodwin another look at a different forward line a week on from his success throwing Christian Petracca forward.

Against the elite stoppage team that is Brisbane, Petracca will likely be needed in the centre square and he gets to do it alongside regular partner in crime Gawn.

Can Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn succeed in the same side? Picture: Michael Klein

For all of Gawn’s selflessness (and he did miss three games with a medial ligament injury), this has been his worst year since the 2017 season in which he tore a hamstring tendon.

So in a star-driven league where you must maximise your assets, getting Gawn around the ball as much as humanly possible gives the Demons the best possible chance of success.

Was this a trade blunder?

Melbourne knew it needed a Jackson replacement given it couldn’t afford for Gawn to be battered and bruised by the time he hit September.

Sam Weideman clearly wasn’t the answer, forward-ruck Rory Lobb was Bulldogs-bound, Billy Frampton didn’t attract.

So paying as little as $650,000 for All-Australian Grundy wasn’t a fatal mistake.

Waiting until the season was over to change up a mix that wasn’t working certainly would have been.

Originally published as Brodie Grundy dropped by Melbourne: Jon Ralph analysis on Max Gawn, Demons’ ruck call