Max Gawn is uncomfortable pumping up his burgeoning Brownlow Medal chances, but Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones is happy to do the job for him.
Following another standout performance against the Western Bulldogs last weekend, Gawn is now the clear third favourite behind Hawk Tom Mitchell and West Coast’s Andrew Gaff.
The last pure ruckman to win the award for the AFL’s best and fairest player was Scott Wynd in 1991, way back when the Western Bulldogs were still known as Footscray.
“It’s not something I’m thinking about to be honest,” Gawn told reporters on Wednesday at the launch of the fifth Field of Women event in association with Breast Cancer Network Australia.
“We don’t play footy for the individual awards and it’s certainly not at the forefront of my mind.
“We’ve got six weeks to potentially play my first finals game so that’s what is at the forefront of my mind.”
The sixth-placed Demons play eighth-ranked Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night in a match vital to both’s teams’ finals hopes.
The Demons have the longest active finals drought of any club, having not participated in September action since Jones’ debut season in 2006.
Melbourne have yet to beat a team currently in the top eight and if they’re to do so on Saturday, they will likely need another dominant performance from Gawn, who Jones said deserved to be “100 per cent” in Brownlow contention.
“I don’t think he thinks about that too much but if you remove yourself from that and give it a bit of perspective, his season has been unbelievable,” said Jones.
“It’s hard to compare really, particularly as a ruckman.
“There’s no doubt about him deserving to be in the consideration and held in the same regard along with the best players in the competition.
“It’s a midfielders’ award, that’s what everyone says anyway and probably the stats suggest that as well.
“But Max is a midfielder so I don’t see why not.
“If you take into consideration his impact on the game, not only from his ruck craft point of view tapping it down the midfielders but his impact around the ground, scoring goals and racking up possessions, I don’t see why not.”
Samuel Ord
Roar Guru
Peter! I thought we agreed that Brodie Grundy can't win the Brownlow in 2018 because we've already given it to Steele Sidebottom! Hahaha.
Samuel Ord
Roar Guru
Tom Mitchell at Hawthorn?
IAP
Guest
No chance. The umpires base their votes on the number of possessions a player gets, not his influence. Tom Mitchell is a sure thing this year.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Grundy is the Pies biggest clearance player so essentially after the tap playing as a mid. Does that give him the advantage? The thing is the media go with whoever is in a good run of form and ATM it is Gawn. If Gaff has a few crackers it will be back to Gaff again.
Snert Underpant
Guest
No standouts this year for mine. Rory Laird at $41 will do me. Ultra consistent in a disappointing team year.
Wayne
Roar Guru
Genuine question (without looking into it deeply): Clayton Oliver, Max Gawn, Tom McDonald, Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca are in the "top ranked" demons players. Do they take enough votes off each other to cost Gawn a Brownlow
Samuel Ord
Roar Guru
I'd love to see Big Max take home Charlie but it never seems to happen for the rucks. I'm getting so much deja vu when it comes to Max Gawn and the Brownlow Medal in 2018. Reminds me so much of peak Todd Goldstein and how everyone was so sure he was going to win the top prize. Didn't even come close.