Max Gawn, Brownlow Medal chances slip, team first, Melbourne Demons, greatest ruck season, First Crack analysis

He’s the 34-year-old star dominating the AFL.

So just how good a season is Melbourne captain Max Gawn having?

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“Right now, it looks like he is the biggest headache in the competition,” Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne said on First Crack Preview.

Gawn is currently rated the second best player in the competition – behind only Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli, and he’s backed by a series of “frightening” statistics.

“I think we’re witnessing the greatest ruck season we’ve seen,” dual premiership Roo David King said.

“Everyone talks about Polly Framer and those guys – we didn’t really see them in their prime. Nic Naitanui was probably the benchmark for us as to his impact on games – I think we’re in a real sweet spot for ruckmen in the game.

“But no one does what Max does in every facet of the game.”

So what changed in 2026? First Crack’s analysts break down where Gawn has lifted.

THE ‘TEAM FIRST’ MENTALITY

The data shows Max Gawn is playing an average of five minutes less per game – which King admits “doesn’t sound like a lot”, but over the course of a season, it can be the difference come September.

And it’s where in those games that he’s getting the rest.

Champion Data stats show that since Round 10, seven times Gawn has played less than 25 minutes in fourth quarters – compared to one last year, while playing more than 28 minutes just three times since Round 8 – compared to 13 last year.

“The short quarters, he’s had more shorter quarters on the ground in the last year – seven times less than 24.5 minutes this year,” King shared.

“Whereas last year, he really only had one spell for the year – so they are managing him perfectly.

“The really long quarters are the ones we don’t talk about, the ones that are almost 30 minutes plus – 13 times last year and only three this year.

“I think they’ve made a conscious decision to put the team’s needs before the individual’s needs.

“And the player has to buy into that.”

King described it as a “hard sell” from coach Steven King to play back up ruck Max Heath for a six-week block.

“When you look at those six weeks in the Coach’s Association votes, in the six weeks that Max Heath played, (Gawn) got 10 votes in six weeks,” he said.

“Outside of that, he’s 64 votes in 11 weeks.

“So it’s probably cost him a little bit of status and a little bit of personal glory – he’s not going to win the Brownlow.

“He’s going to be All Australian. He’ll be the first nine-timer that we’ve ever had.

“He probably won’t be captain because Jordan Dawson is worthy.

“So where do we recognise Max? Where does he get recognised this year for the outstanding season that we haven’t seen before?”

Hoyne said given Steven King’s background at the Geelong Football Club and their ability to rest players, Gawn was primed for a big finish to 2026.

“It’s the Geelong background of trying to play the long game and actually try to set yourselves up for later on in the season,” he said.

“They aren’t in this position if Max isn’t absolutely firing.

“(Melbourne) realise that come first week of finals if Max isn’t absolutely cherry ripe, we’re not going to be challenging the best. Right now, it looks like he is the biggest headache in the competition.”

“From Geelong Steven King, every year you talk about Danger’s (Patrick Dangerfield) influence and how they are timing him for a finals tilt and then letting him explode – Max is the same,” host Ben Dixon added.

“He’s probably ready to jump out of his skin!”

CHAIN-HAPPY MAX

There’s only two players in the AFL who have been involved in more chains than Max Gawn in 2026 – Magpie Nick Daicos and Cat Bailey Smith.

Gawn is involved in everything for Melbourne, with statistics showing he’s in one of every four chains.

“It’s the highest rated ruck season on record – and our rating systems goes back to 2010,” Hoyne shared.

“I think we’re in a position at the moment as an industry where the premiership team over the last 15 years or so – other than Max himself in 2021 have gotten by with a ruckman that’s more combative, a competitor on the deck and a competitor aerially as well and we’re going to bring you in through the trade system.

“Now with what (Brodie) Grundy and (Luke) Jackson and Max are actually doing they are all top 11 rated players in the competition – we’ve never had three rucks in the top 11 rated players in the competition.

“When you look at what Melbourne are doing from a clearance situation at the moment – top four in clearance work, their scores from clearance work is top two in the competition. It’s easy just to bypass and go (Tom) Sparrow is going well, Kozzy (Pickett) is having a great year – it’s Max!”

King says it’s Gawn who sets the play up for the Dees repeatedly.

“In terms of involving himself in every facet of the game, we don’t have another ruckman doing that,” he praised.

“Whether it be ball movement transition for Melbourne, stopping the opposition when their game stops, he’s a major player at centre bounces or boundary throw ins or ball ups, at kick outs he’s a weapon – whether they are kicking it to him or trying to get past him. Only two guys have more involvements in possession chains than Max, and it’s Nick Daicos and Bailey Smith.

“You look at clearances, he’s the same at clearance – only Brodie Grundy has more involvement from clearance.

“He’s there in the top two.”

THE MINDSET: ‘GET BACK AND HELP EVERYONE OUT’

David King says the plan for opposition sides should be simple: “You’ve got to stop kicking it to Max!”

Gawn is dominating the air in 2026 – in terms of ruck ranking, he’s AFL best for intercepts and intercepts between the arcs.

He’s also ranked second for intercept marks in D50 and contested marks between the arcs.

And remarkably, he has 50 per cent MORE contested marks than any ruckman this season.

“We laud Luke Jackson – he doesn’t get back like Max does,” King said.

“He doesn’t do the work in the defensive 50 like Max does.

“(Gawn) is a contested marking beast.

“Darcy Cameron gets back – he’s the one that does intercept marking more than Max in the D50. But that’s probably all he does – he doesn’t get forward as much as what Max does.”

Dixon praised Gawn’s athleticism as he gets from end to end.

“The intercept marks – ruckmen don’t do that because the play’s going so fast … but he positions himself so well!” he said.

“And because he’s so strong, he’s hard to get past.

“You’ve just got to marvel at what he can do and the way he can cover the ground – he’s a big human.

“On the weekend (against Richmond at the MCG), it was wet, rainy – it wasn’t his conditions and he just rolled the sleeves up, put himself in the right spots and brought ball to ground, played his role.”

With statistics showing Gawn has received the second most free kicks so far this season, King said it’s time teams avoided the big man.

“People can’t compete with him – they chop him, they drag him, they grab him, they impact him at hit-outs – 44 free kicks,” he said.

“There is no one having more influence on the game than Max, and he’s a human stop sign!

“When I see Max position himself down the line, I say don’t kick it near him because he does everything.

“I’m on watch with this – if you’re dumb enough to do it we’re going to highlight you over the next few weeks.”
King praised the coaching of Collingwood’s Craig McRae – who used his ruck Darcy Cameron in a defensive role on Gawn.

“If he’s going to one side of the ground, you can’t kick it near Max!” King said.

“Good coaching, high level coach has seen this – and every now and then you see a couple of tactics and go OK, what’s happening?

“Cameron and Collingwood said ‘no, no we’re going to drag Max out of the way as often as we can’.

“They are trying to check him, bump him, annoy him … so that’s going inside forward 50.

“On kick outs, Darcy goes straight down the middle – if (Gawn) doesn’t go to you, we’re kicking it to you. But if he does, we’re kicking it away from you.

“This is what the competition need to see and need to assess.

“This is the influence of Max.

“While he doesn’t get coaches votes, you spend half your week worrying he could ruin the game for you.

“Drag him – get him one side, and I’ll go the other, don’t care what side it is.

“Melbourne fans are in love with what Max has done for their footy club… I reckon we’ve spoken about eight different players this year that they’re the best player in the game – none of them have gone past Max.”