Max Gawn and Steven May earn talking to from Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin after MCG stoush

What started off tense at Melbourne after a clash between senior players finished on a high with a superstar’s long-term deal.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin sat down with captain Max Gawn and defender Steven May this week, conceding their on-field stoush at the MCG last Monday was “not the look we want”.

But he was quick to clarify the two senior stars were “100 per cent” back on the same page at a club so aligned on its future direction the positive vibe was key to keeping superstar Kozzie Pickett, who this week signed a new nine-year-deal at Melbourne.

Gawn conceded his reaction to some post-siren words from May, which included pushing his teammate away after the one-point loss to Collingwood, was “poor”.

On Friday, Goodwin revealed he sat both players down, conceding they “got it wrong” and also addressed it with the playing group to ensure there would be no repeat.

“They had a chat themselves, but I’ve also sat them down and I’ve also addressed it with the group,” the premiership coach said.

“Clearly, we don’t want that look on field, but we also understand we play an emotional game and we have two passionate guys who love winning and love their footy club.

Steven May and Max Gawn face off after the final siren.

“But we also understand that’s not the look we wanted on field, so we addressed it and keep moving forward. We don’t make a huge issue of it.”

Goodwin confirmed there were no lingering issues between the two veterans who were “incredibly close”.
“They get on incredibly well … they understand and have enormous respect for each other, as we do for them,” he said.

“They do an enormous amount for our footy club, they love our footy club, they know they didn’t get it quite right on the day but they are incredibly close.”

The narrow loss to the Magpies left the Demons in 13th place on the ladder, with just five wins for the season, ahead of a crucial clash with Port Adelaide.

Victory is a must to keep even slim chances of playing finals alive.

Melbourne also missed the finals in 2024, finishing 14th, which led to a tumultuous off-season during which contracted stars Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca expressed a desire to leave.

Kysaiah Pickett has signed with Melbourne until 2034. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

So too did Pickett, who was heavily linked to a move to Fremantle, noise that continued until he inked his massive deal, worth up to $12.5m.

Despite the early tumult, Goodwin said Pickett’s decision was a positive reflection on the work being done to return Melbourne to the finals and would also enable some “strong decisions” about the playing list going forward.

“It says a lot about our footy club, where we are at and where we are going. For Kozzie to sit there and say ‘this is the club I want to be at’, it’s fantastic,” Goodwin said.

“(His future) has been a talking point for a number of years now. We’ve worked incredibly hard with Kozzie to make this the place he wants to be and see there’s a real future here. “Signing a deal indicates that’s the commitment and love he has for the club.

“We think he can be something incredibly special. It provides enormous stability for our list moving forward and we can make some strong decisions around that.”

Originally published as Max Gawn and Steven May earn talking to from Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin after MCG stoush