Melbourne captain Max Gawn says club culture at stake over final two games

Both of Melbourne’s final two games are set to be dead rubbers with no impact on finals, but there’s a key reason skipper Max Gawn won’t skip them.

Max Gawn (right) will play out the season. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Melbourne captain Max Gawn says that while a spot in the finals is not at stake over the final two rounds the “culture” of the Demons is, and he won’t be resting despite both games looming as dead rubbers.

Gawn missed rounds 19 and 20 after suffering a slight fracture in his ankle but has been among his team’s best in the past two games, both losses, against the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide that ended any hope of making the finals.

Melbourne hasn’t won a final since their premiership success in 2021 after straight-sets exits in the past two seasons, and after four straight losses, the Demons’ fate has been sealed well before the last rounds for the first time since 2019.

With so much having gone wrong for Melbourne this season, including the loss of superstar Christian Petracca to a season-ending injury, Gawn said it was extra important for both himself and the other senior players to front up for final matches against the Gold Coast Suns and then Collingwood.

“It’s been a while, 2019 was the last time we knew we were going to be not playing finals and in 2020 we had to wait till the last game,” he said on Monday.

“But there’s a lot of pride in the jumper and you can’t turn culture on and off. I think it’s always just something that keeps on growing.

Max Gawn isn’t throwing in the towel. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“So if we, let’s say, throw the towel in for these last two, it is hard to get back throughout the pre-season and then next year. I reckon you start spiralling downhill.

“So that’s something that we’ve sort of talked about in the last couple of weeks about what we want to get out of this year.

“And in particular, we haven’t won on the road this year since Gather Round and that’s something that we’re keen to do, so to go out to Gold Coast and then Collingwood, hopefully, they’re in finals contention and that can be a game where we can try and spoil it for them.”

Gawn, who is also in contention for what could be a seventh All-Australian award, said if he was injured, he wouldn’t play, as is likely to be the case for star defender Steven May, who has broken ribs.

But there’s nothing holding him back.

“As I said you just can’t turn culture on and off. In particular your senior players,” he told Triple M.

“(All Australian selection) is something that does get decided later in the year, but it’s not why you keep playing.

“There’s a whole lot more bigger things that are in play and my eyes are on setting this team up for next year.”