Brodie Grundy faces a battle to interrupt again into Melbourne’s finest workforce earlier than the AFL finals after Max Gawn and a new-look ahead line fired the Demons to a fourth straight win.
Gawn was excellent as a solo ruckman in Sunday’s 32-point victory over Richmond on the MCG, which put fourth-placed Melbourne inside touching distance of a top-two spot.
Remodelled ahead Harry Petty (six targets) and younger gun Jacob van Rooyen (4) had career-best outings in assault, and Jake Melksham (4) was additionally efficient.
Their spectacular performances got here as high-profile recruit Grundy slogged away in troublesome situations with VFL aspect Casey.
Gawn, who was dominant in opposition to Richmond’s Ivan Soldo within the second half, has relished taking part in as a solo ruckman since Grundy was dropped three weeks in the past.
“We’ll continue to operate in that way while he’s doing what he does,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin stated.
“But he’s not young – he’s a bit old, Maxy – so we’ll keep looking after him as well.”
Asked whether or not Gawn would want per week off earlier than the finals, Goodwin stated: “It’s been a distinct yr for Max.
“Last yr he carried the total load for the entire yr however this yr he is had the assist of Brodie and at instances we have actually liked that mixture.
“We’ll continue to assess that as we go forward but we’re not a closed book to anything.
“At the second, Max is taking part in nicely and the workforce is functioning nicely, and we’ll do no matter is finest for the workforce.”
Former Collingwood ruckman Grundy was scoreless from 10 disposals and had 31 hit-outs in Casey’s one-point defeat to Williamstown on Sunday and appears set for another week in the VFL.
“Brodie has embraced the chance to make this mixture (with Gawn) nice,” Goodwin stated.
“It’s been good however we need to make it nice, and he’ll proceed to do this.
“He had a really tough day at Casey. I think it was 40kmh winds down there so it wasn’t the best day for a forward.
“But his perspective in direction of it and the influence he had in matchplay at coaching in the course of the week, you may see he is enhancing on a regular basis.”
Melbourne tackle second-from-bottom North Melbourne at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena this Sunday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
