Max Gawn leads Melbourne to victory, makes Collingwood pay for selecting three Magpies ruckmen

MAX Gawn has credited a full pre-season and an elevated standing at Melbourne to his rapid rise towards AFL stardom.

AFL Round 12: Melbourne v Collingwood Max Gawn goal Picture: Wayne Ludbey

MAX Gawn credited a full pre-season and an elevated standing at Melbourne to his rapid rise towards AFL stardom.

The bearded beast ran Collingwood’s tandem ruck act of Brodie Grundy and Jarrod Witts ragged as he broke personal records with 27 disposals and three goals in a clear best-afield display.

But Gawn said his true test to join the AFL’s elite was still to come with games against some of the premier big men looming.

“I knew when I saw Witts’ name in the 22 on Sunday night that it was going to be a big day for me,” Gawn told the Herald Sun.

“And Grundy’s very good at following up, that’s where he gets his game going for Collingwood.

“So I knew I had to match him up there so to have (27 disposals) means I was following up, which was good.

“I wasn’t my normal marking self but I was still able to impact the game.”

Mason Cox flies for a mark over Tom McDonald. Picture: Getty

Gawn’s domination of Collingwood in Round 4 must have burnt brightly in coach Nathan Buckley’s brain and while tactics changed but another memory in the same vein was formed.

Buckley treated Gawn like the great Polly Farmer by selecting three lumbering talls all above 200cm and the Demon played like it.

The Magpies deployed full-forward Mason Cox (211cm), Witts (209cm) and Grundy (203cm) simultaneously but it was the Demons star who appeared to be everywhere.

Gawn’s stats sheet read like a midfielder, while his pair of second-quarter goals helped burst the game open.

You get the feeling if kids could grow facial hair primary schools would this week be filled with Max lookalikes, such is this bloke’s swelling popularity.

The Pies big men? Their trio combined for only 22 disposals and 3.1.

What was most impressive was Gawn’s aerobic brilliance, rucking one out all day in what he describes as a “unique” situation.

“Having a full pre-season is finally coming out in my game,” Gawn said.

“I’m almost the sixth or seventh oldest on the list already so it sort of hit me that it’s my turn.

“There’s still a few guys I’ve got to verse. (Kurt) Tippett if he gets up and (Sam) Jacobs the week after, as well as Nic Naitanui and Aaron Sandilands.

“I’ve got a big month ahead of me and I really want to test myself.”

In an old-fashioned game high on tackling and at times low on skills, Gawn gave a royal hiding to the Magpie rucks.

When Gawn snuck back onto the field after a rare rest in the final quarter he found himself under a Christian Petracca ball to mark all alone in the forward pocket.

The big fella slotted a third goal and turned to face the crowd to pump out the double-cobra celebration.

The lead grew beyond 50 points and so to had his All-Australian claims.

Demons coach Paul Roos said Gawn produced an “elite” game and his graph was heading in the right direction/

“Whether it puts him in that (elite) category, it certainly does for this weekend.”

But did Buckley’s land of the giants selection help Maxy?

“Potentially the 21 other players might have an advantage, I definitely didn’t,” he said.

“I had to take one for the team and cop those guys going through me, but in the end some of our backman played career-best games like Sammy Frost and Oscar McDonald so it was good.”

Originally published as Max Gawn leads Melbourne to victory, makes Collingwood pay for selecting three Magpies ruckmen