Melbourne captain Max Gawn has opened up on his excitement for the ruck battle against his “close mate” Stefan Martin ahead of tomorrow’s AFL grand final.
While the match-up has been headlined by the battle of the two teams’ all-star midfields which feature four All-Australians, Gawn says his clash with Martin, a former teammate, will be “a battle within a battle”.
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The match-up between the two big men pits Martin against his old understudy, with the pair sharing a locker room together during the first two years of Gawn’s career.
Martin was eventually traded to the Brisbane Lions where he became one of the AFL’s most potent big men, while Gawn has since blossomed into the league’s pre-eminent ruckman.
“Stef’s almost been one of my most-played rucks over the journey,” Gawn said of his match-up against Martin.
“We rucked together against each other for two or three years when he was at the Dees.
“I’d still call him a close mate so I’m really excited for that first centre bounce. I can’t get my mind off that first centre bounce just because he’s an interesting character and he’s a real close friend.
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“We’ve been texting this week and he’s such a unique ruck. He plays undersized but he’s so strong, so it’s going to be a battle. Obviously Tim [English] coming in there as well at times and I’ve got Luke [Jackson], so it’ll be a battle within a battle.
“I’m not sure if everyone’s looking at the ruck battle as the centrepiece of that game, but I certainly think it’s a genuine battle within a battle.”
Much has been made of how the Bulldogs will counter Gawn, who was pivotal with five goals in Melbourne’s preliminary final win over Geelong.
Some experts have suggested the Bulldogs should attack the Demons star with off-ball hits as Port Adelaide did in a contest back in 2019, but Gawn suggested he is ready for any rough stuff sent his way.
“You’ve always got to prepare what other teams throw at you,” he said.
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“But whether they go through Christian [Petracca], Clayton [Oliver], or whether they don’t do anything at all, there’s all sorts of games that might be played come Saturday.
“I’m not too fussed. If I have no influence on the game and we win, I’m still a pretty happy man.”
Asked how he’d prepared for the biggest match of his 158-game career, Gawn admitted that he had sought advice from ex-players, including former teammate Jordan Lewis.
“It’s been a unique four weeks with only that one game in there, so there’s lots of down time to talk to people,” he said.
“Jordan Lewis is someone that I’ve reached out to who’s played in four flags himself and I’ve got a couple of other friends that have played in grand finals.
“You reach out to as much as finals experience as you can, but in the end I’m going to do it my way.
“I’m not going to do it the way these people have told me to do it, I’m going to do this week the way I want to do this week.
“I’m going to let my teammates do the week that they want to do this week and hopefully that recipe, along with what [Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin] has told us, is what’s going to get us to hold the cup up on Saturday.”