Former Melbourne defender Lynden Dunn had never seen anyone “less interested in football” when they were drafted, but next Saturday he hopes to see that same man in Max Gawn lift the premiership cup.
The ruckman was drafted with pick 34 in the 2009 draft by the Demons at a time where they couldn’t be further from success.
Dunn was a part of that team and remembers hosting Gawn at his house in the days after the draft.
“It’s hard to believe the man that Max is now and the boy that rolled into the doors of the Junction oval at the time,” Dunn told Sportsday SA.
“A week after Max got drafted, he spent a week at my place and I’ve never seen a kid who looks less like a footballer or less interested in football.”
Gawn was injured when he was drafted and didn’t play his first season of football, then injured his knee again to miss most of 2011.
The current Melbourne captain struggled in 2013 and 2014, before a breakthrough in form finally came the next season, averaging 37 hitouts a game in 2015.
"It’s one of the incredible turnarounds in a career, from his injuries, he got drafted on a knee reconstruction, second year he injured his knee again," Dunn said.
“Was in and out of the VFL team, playing VFL seniors and VFL reserves.
“He’s always the life of the party, loves to have a beer, is one of the great people to hang around on the social side but something just clicked in him, he’s always had this desire to be great.”
Whatever ‘clicked’ in Gawn has elevated him to become one of the greatest ruckmen the game has seen. He’s a five-time All-Australian, including being awarded captain in 2021.
He’s also a chance to become the first Melbourne captain in 57 years to win a flag for the Demons faithful, just two years into his captaincy, which Dunn said would be driving his great friend most.
”He’s like glue in a football side, he brings people together,” he said.
“The way that he’s been able to transom the player that he is, especially in the last five or six years, it’s been humbling for me to watch as a great friend of his.
“But the job isn’t done yet, I know he’d love nothing more than to get up on the dais and lift that cup up for the red and blue army Saturday week.”
The last Melbourne skipper to lift the cup was the great Ron Barassi, meaning Gawn could be about to lift himself into the upper echelon of famous footy names if they are successful against the Bulldogs.