Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn revealed he’s been dealing with an illness in his family for the last two years and appreciates how his coach was trying to shield him from criticism after a poor performance on the weekend.
The 33-year-old’s play came under the microscope in the 125-66 loss against North Melbourne as the Demons were outplayed on Sunday.
Gawn struggled to contain Tristan Xerri, who was dominant for the Kangaroos, and coach Simon Goodwin told reporters after the match, “in life there are other things that are going on” and “there’s a backstory to everyone’s performance.”
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The comments sparked a heated reaction from several former players and commentators, with former Kangaroos player David King telling SEN Radio, “there’s no need to put this out in the public sphere, all this does is have everyone hunting after a story.”
Max Gawn and Simon Goodwin Getty/Twitter
Demons great Garry Lyon also said: “I suspect he (Goodwin) is doing it for all the right reasons.
“But all that did was invite scrutiny and questions. What I would say is Max has never, since I’ve been watching Melbourne, looked for an excuse and I don’t think Simon needed to provide one.”
But the Demons captain set the record straight on his coach’s revealing comments, saying he understood what Goodwin was “trying to do”.
“I am OK. There’s an illness in the family, there has been for a while – about 24 months, to be honest,” he told Triple M on Tuesday.
“And I’ve put myself in a really good spot throughout that 24 months, to be honest. Played some good footy, got some great people at the club, great people in my family, and I’ve turned up every single day ready to be a captain and player and turned up at home ready to be a husband and dad as well.
“I haven’t hid behind it … I’m also free to talk about it throughout the club. I’m in a really good spot.
“And so is the family member at this point. It did sort of escalate over the last three or four weeks, but back to a steady state now.”
Max Gawn leads the Demons. Getty
He added: “We spoke a lot yesterday … there’s no issue with me and Goody.
“I can clearly see what he was trying to do – he was trying to show me love and support and I don’t mind. I spoke to that family member yesterday. They don’t mind. It’s fine.
“I love that my coach loves me and it clearly shows that he cares. He’s 100 per cent right. There is reasons behind performance.
“He is a father figure for me and he was showing love and showing care and I appreciate that.”
Gawn also hosed down talk he has not been mentally fit to play and that if he was, he would stand down.
“I’ve got myself in a really good spot. And I know I’m a mental health advocate,” he said. “I’d clearly stand aside from football if I was struggling, but I’ve got some great people at both the club and at home that keep me in a good place.”
