Max Gawn says Melbourne has the depth and resilience to cover its mounting injury toll

MELBOURNE ruckman Max Gawn is adamant the Demons have the depth to cover its mounting injury toll that includes co-captains Nathan Jones and Jack Viney ahead of Sunday’s clash with Carlton.

Jack Viney is the latest Demon to be struck down by injury. Picture: Michael Klein

MELBOURNE ruckman Max Gawn is adamant the Demons have the experience and firepower to remain resilient in the face of a swag of injuries to key personnel, including co-captains Jack Viney and Nathan Jones.

As Gawn gears up for a head-to-head contest with in-form Carlton big man Matthew Kreuzer at the MCG on Sunday, he remains confident the team can hit back from last week’s sub-standard performance against Sydney.

He said the team won’t abandon the hard-edge it has carried for much of the season, even if he admitted they needed to return to their contested best after slipping up against the Swans.

We have found our aggressiveness pays off, especially early in a game,” Gawn said. “But Sydney beat us to the hard-ball gets and the contested ball, and that’s how you play tough.

Max Gawn will do battle with in-form Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer on Sunday. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“We probably went away from that a bit (last week). We’ve got to be better at that.”

The Demons will be without Viney, who will miss between four and six weeks after undergoing plantar fascia surgery this week, and Jones won’t be rushed back from a calf injury and could still miss more than a month.

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“We’ve had players missing the whole year, so this won’t be any different,” Gawn said. “Bernie (Vince) and ‘Lewy’ (Jordan Lewis) got suspended earlier in the year.”

“I’d say to Melbourne fans ‘Don’t give up on us’, don’t get disheartened by the injuries. We will just keep bringing in another soldier any time anyone goes out.”

Jack Viney is the latest Demon to be struck down by injury. Picture: Michael Klein

Gawn is slowly regain his own touch after missing a chunk of the season with a hamstring. Sunday will be his third game back and he is determined to be more physical this week.

“The thing with rehab is you do a lot of solo running,” he said. “My running (in a game) is all right, but my strength work needs to go to the next level.

“I really haven’t had anyone to body up with, the only one I’ve been doing that with for 10 weeks was the physio. So I have to get used to taking on those big bodies again, and Kreuzer is in form and that’s my next challenge.”