NO ONE COULD doubt ruckman Max Gawn’s persona during 2012.
Given he missed all of last season with a knee injury, it could’ve been easy for the likeable character with the dry, quirky humour to shy away.
But instead, the self-confessed footy head channelled his love of the game and wit to promote the Demons at club functions, clinics and via his popular DeeTV segment ‘Gawn in 60 Seconds’.
He said getting involved in several off-field activities were a good distraction from his rehabilitation.
“I’m a footy nut, so I like to talk about footy,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“If anyone wants to talk to me about how Melbourne’s going, I’m happy to talk to them about it. I’ll talk about footy for hours, if they want me to.
“I don’t mind doing that side of things outside of playing footy and I’ve also got a really big passion for kids.”
Gawn said it was important to remain upbeat around the club, despite being frustrated with injury in 2012.
“It was hard. I always try and keep a good personality anyhow, and a good mood around the club, so that was fine. But when I was at games, particularly with the disappointing season we had, it was hard to watch,” he said.
“I did a lot of functions with supporters and they were asking ‘why aren’t we winning?’ I was just like them, I said ‘I’m a supporter as well and I want us to win more games too’ … so I got into my footy last year.
“But I’m certainly looking forward to playing, rather than just watching this year.”
Having suffered his first anterior cruciate ligament injury before he was drafted by Melbourne, Gawn said he learned plenty about himself the second time around.
“The first [knee injury] did a lot for me, but the second one has done a whole lot more as well,” he said.
“You learn to manage your time and you know your body a lot more after having had two knee [reconstructions] – that’s for sure.”
Gawn also used the recent Christmas break as an opportunity to unwind after a long year, spending time on the Great Ocean Road.
“I went down to the west coast and went to Anglesea, somewhere where I’d never been before. I had to train a fair bit, because I’m a little bit behind the eight ball, so I ran pretty hard and to some exotic locations,” he said.
“I was a beach boy as a kid; I also went surfing and swimming, so I really enjoyed it.
“I should’ve done it a lot more when I had my knee reconstructions, but I couldn’t surf with my knee. But I just really enjoyed getting down to the beach – it clears the mind more than anything else.”
One of his best off-field efforts came in the recent 2012 club Christmas video, when he sat opposite Channel 9 presenter Clint Stanaway. Gawn said the response from family, friends, teammates and fans had been positive about his humorous performance.
“It’s been good and it was a good experience to go in there,” he said.
“Clint being a Melbourne supporter loved it as well.
“You can see the difference between me and him though – he’s had a couple of years on me, with his experience and the way he uses and chooses his words.”
