Almanac Footy: Gawn the greatest Demon? But wait he nearly didn’t get there…

 

Much discussion has taken place regarding the status of Max Gawn in the history of former Demon greats following his herculean effort against the Saints last week. Is he the greatest Demon of all time?

 

Before I stake my claim, I would like to tell the tale of how a wily old recruiting officer back in 2009 had to beg the powers to be in coach Dean Bailey, Football Manager Chris Connolly and Recruiting Manager Barry Prendergast to take a punt on a gangly, skinny kid from New Zealand who grew up on rugby union.

 

Don Baron was a long-term Victorian-based recruiting officer who did most of his scouting across Melbourne metropolitan leagues and of course the Under 18 Competition then known as the TAC Cup. Don had red and blue running through his veins and was my right-hand man in my days at the Demons back in the late 80s to mid-90s.

 

 

Don Barron and Richard Griffiths

 

Don became very ill a few years ago and during a visit to Melbourne I took the trip out to the outer eastern suburbs to talk about the Demons and essentially say our farewells. It was a few short weeks after the Demons won the 2021 Premiership, Dons spirits were high.

 

We settled into the lounge chairs, sipped a cup of tea and before we could talk about the glorious Demons Grand Final victory Don started the conversation with an apology. “Griffo my greatest regret in my time at the Demons was convincing you not to call out Michael O’Loughlins name at the 1994 draft. I want to apologise to you,” he said.

 

“Don’t be silly Don recruiting was an inexact science in those days and we all made mistakes,” I replied. O’Loughlin went on to become a superstar of the game with the Sydney Swans. Don was convinced he would be a late, late draft pick. The Swans nabbed him at pick 40.

 

“At least we got Shane Woewodin – eventually,” he said with a smile.

 

My parting words to Don on the day I was moved on by the club were, “Donny, there is a kid at East Fremantle who I reckon has some attributes. No-one will draft him so I reckon you can get him with the last pick at the National Draft,” I said. The Demons overlooked him at that draft but invited him to pre-season training, drafted him at the pre-season draft and went on to win the Brownlow Medal.

 

 

Don Barron and Kelly O’Donnell with the 2021 Premiership Cup

 

 

The conversation moved quickly to the Grand Final and the long-awaited Premiership victory. The Demons had suffered a 57-year drought. It was finally broken in Perth when the Demons defeated the Western Bulldogs by  74 points. Christian Petracca won the Norm Smith Medal.

 

The topic of Max Gawn followed. Don Baron had been a loyal servant and junior coach in the Bentleigh-McKinnon junior league and had got wind of a youngster playing junior footy at the Ormond Football Club. Don ventured out for a look. He liked what he saw. The sixteen-year-old Gawn was like a baby giraffe, but he showed athletic qualities (thanks to his junior basketball) and his competitiveness which may have been derived from his Rugby Union days at the Powerhouse RUFC.

 

By 2009 young Max had been invited to the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup competition. Max played the first three games of the season – Don attended all three. Then Max went down with an ACL injury and despite being selected in the Victorian Metro squad for the 2009 AFL Under 18 Championships he was unable to play. He was to miss 12 months of football. But Don had seen enough. His name was indelibly etched into his notebook.

 

2009 was a tumultuous year for the Demons. Cameron Schwab was the Chief Executive Officer, Dean Bailey the coach, Chris Connolly Football Manager, and Barry Prendergast the Recruiting Manager. The Demons won four games in 2009. They were accused of tanking to secure priority draft picks. The strategy or perhaps conspiracy took place in ‘The Vault’ – a dingy room in the bowels of the Blackie Ironmonger Stand at the Junction Oval.

 

Some strange things took place at the Round 18 game versus the Tigers. Players played out of position. Key players taken from the ground at crucial times of the game. The Demons lost by four points ensuring a Priority Pick.

 

It took the AFL four years to investigate the matter. The Demons were cleared of deliberately losing matches but were sanctioned for having ‘discussions’ about losing to secure draft picks – a breach of League rules.

 

The club was fined $500,000, Chris Connolly suspended for 12 months, and Dean Bailey suspended for 16 weeks.

 

Back to 2009 and big Max. The Demons had ‘secured’ selections 1, 2 (priority pick), 18, 34 and 50. No-one in the Demon football department had laid eyes on Max Gawn. Other than Don Baron. During the plethora of recruiting meetings leading up to the November National Draft, Don would always advocate for big Max. The hard running Tom Scully was locked away with the first pick and ball magnet Jack Trengove with pick two. Picks 11, 18 and 34 and 50 would remain speculative.

 

Don always liked a ‘smokey’. Think Chris Grant. But he faced roadblocks. “You’re the only one who has seen him play?” “He has an ACL as an 18-year-old kid!” “He will need to go through rehab?” “Young ruckmen take time – up to five years plus.” “Can we wait that long?”

 

Donny stuck to his guns. Athletic big men are hard to come by – Max stood at 208cm. Only Aaron Sandilands stood taller at 211cm. The draft is about the futures market. Max will be a long-term play. The ‘powers to be’ gave no commitment to Donny or Max Gawn leading into draft day.

 

Don Baron sat at the draft table on Thursday November 26, 2009. He was nervous. Scully and Trengove were secured. With Pick 11 the Demons drafted Jordan Gysberts from the Norwood FC. Gysberts would play 19 games for the club before moving to North Melbourne where he failed to play a game. And with Pick 18 the Demons selected Luke Tapscott from North Adelaide, who over four years would play 48 games before heading to the idyllic seaside town of Sorrento.

 

Don sat through the following 16 agonising picks praying no other club would call out Max Gawn. The Demons next selection Pick 34 arrived. Heads came together at the table. The conversation was intense. Don knew there were no players remaining with the height and athletic ability of young Max.  He gave one last plea.

 

Max Gawn was drafted to the Melbourne FC with their fiftieth selection and Pick 34 overall at the 2009 AFL National Draft. In 2010, coming off his knee injury he played a handful of games with the Casey Scorpions. The following year after some good early season form, he made his debut in Round 11 against Essendon at the MCG. He wore number 37 – the same number Jim Stynes wore in his debut match. He played a total of four senior matches in his debut year. In 2012 tragedy struck again with Gawn tearing his meniscus and ACL during pre-season training which forced him to miss the entire 2012 season. He fought his way back in 2013 and played a total of 13 senior games.

 

In 2014, Max played nine matches before suffering yet another knee injury in the final game against North Melbourne. He avoided an ACL tear but still required surgery for the third time on his right knee.

 

In 2015 he played his first senior match in Round 10 in the Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood – he polled three Brownlow votes. This was Max’s break out game. He did not miss a match for the remainder of the season. In 2016 he was added to Melbourne’s leadership group. He played all matches for the season and finished with the most hit outs in the league with 928 and averaged 42.2 per game. He was selected in the 2016 All-Australian team.

 

By 2020 Max Gawn was the Melbourne FC Captain. By September 25, 2021, he was a Premiership captain. By 2024 he had been named in the All-Australian team for the seventh time no other Melbourne player has achieved that honour. No other ruckman in the competition has achieved that honour. In 2025 he was named for a record equalling eighth time; surely the greatest ruckman of all time. Apologies Polly. Apologies S Madden.

 

Max Gawn is an AFL Premiership captain, eight time All Australian, three-time club Best and Fairest (Keith “Bluey” Truscott Trophy), and club captain since 2020. And if his form on the weekend is anything to go on he may well add to his incredible CV in 2026.

 

The greatest Demon of all time? Thanks Donny Baron and Rest in Peace.

 

 

Read more from Richard Griffiths HERE

 

 

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