TO SAY MELBOURNE fans have been waiting a long time for success is an understatement, and the skipper is well aware of that.
But he’s also desperate to change the narrative and has faith in his side’s ability to do so.
“The overall goal from every football club is to become a great team that does it over a long [period] of time,” Max Gawn said on SEN Afternoons on Wednesday.
“You have a look at Richmond at the moment, they’re obviously the benchmark team, but not necessarily just because they won the 2020 flag, but it’s because of the four or five years they’ve been able to put in the bank.
“And that’s what we want to do.
“When we do flash back to 2018 and see a Prelim Final, but nothing else either before it or after it, you almost see that little dynasty as a fail.
“And that’s definitely the way I look at it.
“I want to become a great team that plays … September football and I do think we have the team right now that’s ready for that.
“I’m excited for what we’ve got.”
After finishing ninth in a disrupted 2020 season, the Demons will need to show some big improvements next year to become a serious contender in the competition.
And off the back of a big summer, Gawn believes his side can do just that.
“There’s a few things we’ve got to make sure we gel, and a strong pre-season should be able to do that for us,” he said.
“But 2021 definitely is a year we want to go further than what we did this year and this year was ninth.
“So that puts us in the top eight, hopefully, and [we want to] be there for more than just that one year that we had in 2018.”
And the acquisition of Ben Brown should assist with that long-term goal.
The key forward will straighten Melbourne up inside 50 and fill a crucial vacancy for his new side.
“I’m really excited,” Gawn said.
“Our midfield can go to another level, but our defence has certainly held up in the last two years with Steven May and Jake Lever and some guys down there.
“So the forward line was something that we targeted to get an A-Grade player in, and I definitely think Ben is that.
“I’m really excited to see him work with Sam Weideman, Luke Jackson … and Tommy (McDonald).
“It’s going to be exciting for those four talls to battle it out. I’m not sure if there’s going to be three spots for them, or four, or two, or one, but it’s going to be good to get a guy who’s kicked 250 goals in the last four years into our team.”
On paper, Melbourne’s side looks as balanced as it has for a number of seasons, which fills Gawn with confidence ahead of his second year at the helm.
