Gawn or bust: Demons ruck stocks sweating skipper’s every move as practice match shows how empty the cupboard is

The Max Gawn-Brodie Grundy experiment didn’t work. But, is Gawn on his own really the answer? JON RALPH examines the difficult position Melbourne’s captain finds himself in.

Melbourne will be ride the highs and lows of Max Gawn’s season as the only senior-ready ruck on the list. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Max Gawn has limped into a pair of knockout semi finals running on empty.

In 2022 it was a hip injury that had him withdrawn from the side on game day before a last-minute change of heart.

Last year as he battled a broken big toe the decision to play Josh Schache over Brodie Grundy as the club’s substitute was a finals jaw-dropper.

And yet as the AFL season draws nearer it is apparent the Demons will need Gawn to stand up in the ruck like never before.

Partner-in-crime Brodie Grundy is gone, a year after premiership hero Luke Jackson departed for Fremantle.

And while Schache deserves credit as one of football’s survivors after securing a list spot for a ninth season, he might just be Gawn’s ruck back-up for the early rounds of the year.

Melbourne will be ride the highs and lows of Max Gawn’s season as the only senior-ready ruck on the list. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

It is a situation the Demons never expected when they secured Lions key forward Tom Fullarton to play ruck, preferring him to Power veteran Scott Lycett despite his availability.

But Fullarton is out until April with an eight-week hamstring and the club’s other back-up options in Tom McDonald (calf) and Harrison Petty (toe) are currently sidelined.

Jacob Van Rooyen can play second ruck (23 hitouts in 20 games last year) but given the key forward issues he might be needed exclusively inside 50.

Against Richmond on Sunday at Casey Fields as Gawn was managed in only a half of game time, the Demons admitted they weren’t sure who would play second ruck in round 1.

Schache was in three centre bounces in each of the AFL halves before the game turned into a VFL contest, while second-year rookie Will Verrall got his chance late.

South Adelaide’s athletic big man Verrall shapes as a long-term prospect but he’s a baby in AFL terms.

Last year Gawn was at 369 centre bounces to Grundy’s 239.

So could it be Schache is a round 1 back-up despite not attending a centre bounce as a ruckman last year?

At some stage Fullarton will return after a VFL stint to build match fitness but his most recent AFL games were in 2022 (five contests, 19 across his career) and he didn’t attend a centre bounce in that season for the Lions.

Melbourne doesn’t have a bye until round 6, by which time Gawn might be gasping for air.

As Demons assistant coach Troy Chaplin said after the Tigers clash, Melbourne needs to find some answers to lessen its reliance on its ageing skipper.

“Well we used Josh Shache today. Will Verrall played some minutes because we’re always only going to play Max for a half,” he said.

A dejected Max Gawn after the injured skipper couldn’t lead the Demons to a win over Carlton in the 2023 finals. Picture: Michael Klein.

“Obviously he’s a pretty important player to us. So a half was probably enough for us. He’s done all the loads throughout pre-season so it was more about looking after him but Josh Shache, we’ve got Jacob Van Rooyen who played second ruck last year.

“So we’ve got a couple of guys that can support him but we’re also going to have to find ways that we can look after Max as well.

“It’s very hard to tell Max that he’s only going to play a half as well. He’s a pretty proud player and he’s competitive so you know when Max is one out he probably plays his best footy. But we certainly have to find that guy who’s going to play that secondary position for us.”

Simon Goodwin sold Gawn on Grundy’s arrival because it helped the prospect of more premierships instead of All Australian awards.

Gawn might win a seventh All Australian nod playing massive game time.

But after twin straight sets exits, the Demons face a monumental task keeping him in prime shape by the time September arrives again.