IT’S going to take a mighty effort from an opposition ruckman to push aside Max Gawn from the No.1 ruck position in this year’s All-Australian team, according to coach Paul Roos.

Although Roos said it was hard to know exactly who deserved the role in the country’s best 22 at the end of the season, he said Gawn had done everything possible to claim the position.

“We don’t get to see everyone every week and a lot of it, you’re relying on media noise and playing against a team,” he said on Roos’ Views.

“You watch a bit of footy on the weekend and watch games, so all I’d say was that for someone to beat him, they would’ve had to have played at a very, very high standard throughout the year, because Max has done that and has been a very good player for us.”

Gawn’s performance in Melbourne’s 29-point win over Hawthorn at the MCG last Saturday earned him 10 votes in the AFLCA coaches’ award. Roos and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson gave Gawn five votes each.

Roos added that he and Clarkson agreed on the best players from that match.

“This was the first time I’ve been involved where both coaches gave exactly the same five, four, three, two and one, so that’s quite unusual,” he said.

“In a normal voting system, it was hard to break up three or four or our players. I thought Gawny’s game was fantastic. Jack Viney’s game was great, and Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones, they were really at a high level.

“Equally, I don’t think we had a bad player. It’ll be interesting to see the best and fairest at the end of the year, where everyone can [get a] vote. There will probably be 22 guys getting a vote for the game and that was the sort of game it was – everyone had a terrific game and everyone contributed to the win.”