Max Gawn blindsided by Simon Goodwin’s private reveal during press conference

Simon Goodwin’s post-game remarks surrounding captain Max Gawn have taken an ugly turn with the skipper left blindsided.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn was reportedly blindsided by his coach’s personal reveal during a press conference on Sunday.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin stirred up the rumour mill surrounding Gawn following the club’s 59-defeat to the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium.

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Gawn was below his best during the contest but Goodwin raised eyebrows with a surprise answer surrounding the skipper’s form, stating there was a “backstory” behind his struggles.

“Our people are really important to us and Max is one of our guys and today, I think he’ll acknowledge that he got beaten by a really good opponent today,” he said.

“But you also have to realise that in life there are other things going on.

“So, you know, we’ll support Max. He’s a great person. He’s a great leader. And, you know, there’s a backstory to everyone’s performance, and Max is someone that we take enormous pride in — and he’s going to continue to be a great leader for this footy club, and he’ll be a big part of our response.”

Asked to clarify the situation, Goodwin said: “I’m not going to go into the details, but you know, he’s someone that — there’s footy, and there’s stuff in life, and we’ve just got to understand that people have back stories.”

Simmon Goodwin press conference photo after loss to North Melbourne. Photo: X and AFL.

Goodwin’s comments ignited the rumour mill with the situation becoming even more alarming for the club on Monday afternoon when it was reported Gawn had no idea he would be thrown into the spotlight by his coach.

“While it’s unclear how Max Gawn reacted to Simon Goodwin’s public suggestion he’s been dealing with personal issues, what’s now known is Gawn had no heads up it would be raised in the media conference post-game,” Channel 9’s Tom Morris reported.

“It’s worth noting Goodwin and Gawn are tight, and have been for years.

“But it’s fair to say some teammates & officials were surprised by Goodwin’s choice of words, which came at the end of an ordinary day for Melbourne.”

Gawn was blindsided by his coach’s reveal. Picture: Michael Klein

After enduring an off-season full of turbulence, the issue is sure to put the club right back on the hot seat.

Star duo Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca were linked with leaving the club as questions were raised surrounding the culture.

Goodwin throwing the captain under the bus and revealing a personal battle isn’t likely to help extinguish the flames of discontent.

In a revealing podcast interview after the 2024 season, Gawn said intense focus on the club’s culture took the heaviest toll on him that he could remember.

“The latest stuff with Trac, it’s worn me down and I don’t like that because I feel like I have always been able to handle it, but it’s starting to wear me down,” he told the Empowering Leaders podcast.

“It’s something I’ve always been proud of that I feel like I have a good handle of creating the most successful era and I can see it getting chewed, constantly chipped at and chipped at and I’m constantly trying to defend it.

“I know what’s happening in the four walls, but you are never going to trust that with regular spotfires. It’s been a delicate little time.”

Originally published as Max Gawn blindsided by Simon Goodwin’s private reveal during press conference