Melbourne captain Max Gawn happy there will be external review at the club after a failed season

Questions about the culture at Melbourne have lingered for too long and the superstar captain is happy for someone from outside to take a look.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn says an external review of the Demons is a “good thing” and welcomed the fresh eyes looking his club after a failed season ended with president Kate Roffey stepping down and Christian Petracca sounding out a trade.

Petracca recommitted to the club, knowing a trade would have been impossible given his estimated $1.3m-a-year salary, but the ructions that came with his falling out and questions about the club’s culture resulted in Roffey quitting her post.

As part of the handover, to former Melbourne champion Brad Green, Roffey confirmed the club would conduct an external review, which will include All Blacks leadership consultant Darren Shand.

He has spent time at Melbourne previously but more importantly was involved with the All Blacks – New Zealand’s rugby union team – for two decades and now advises sporting and business leaders on how to create strong cultures.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn has welcomed an external review of the club. Picture: Josh Chadwick/Getty Images

Gawn, who had multiple conversations with Petracca during a tense period following the end of the season, said he supported the shift from conducting an internal review to an external one.

But he downplayed it as anything significant and said it was something all good businesses, be they football clubs or otherwise, should do.

“I get why this is big news but in my head it’s not big news,” he said on Monday.

“Surely, if we won the flag and finished first, I would love to have the All Black leadership and culture (team) come in and check how we’re going.

 “I’m glad it’s happening. I think every club should get reviewed every year. I own two restaurants … and we constantly have people come in and do an external review on our restaurant.

“But I don’t see why it’s big news and hopefully we get some good stuff from it.”

An influential leader who has shown dedication + support for the club + its people.

Thank you for all that you’ve done for the Dees for over a decade, Kate. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jZdy5xhYoY

— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) September 6, 2024

Gawn lauded the presidency of Roffey, who helped steer the club to its drought-breaking premiership win in 2021 but had come under fire in recent seasons after back-to-back straight-sets exits from the finals and a raft of off-field issues with players.

Melbourne’s culture has been questioned amid Clayton Oliver’s off-season, an anti-doping charge brought against Joel Smith and the treatment of Petracca after he was seriously injured on the King’s Birthday.

But Gawn said the players and club were “forever in debt” to Roffey.

“She led the club and was at the helm for an AFLW flag, an AFL men’s flag, and then non-stop top-four (finishes) for both teams,” he told Triple M.

“Just under 70,000 members, I think, so she can be pretty proud of the effort she did. I’ve got a lot of time for Kate, still do, and I’ll catch up with her at some point when the dust settles.

“Over to Brad Green.”

Originally published as Melbourne captain Max Gawn happy there will be external review at the club after a failed season