Gawn’s not forgotten in Bulldogs’ build-up
STOPPING superstar Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn in Saturday’s AFL grand final will start with the “crucial” work of his Western Bulldogs counterpart Stefan Martin.
But Bulldogs winger Lachie Hunter said truly curbing the five-time All-australian’s influence on the decider could come down to the rest of the midfield making every physical effort they could to make Gawn “exert as much energy” as possible.
Hunter said the way Gawn helped the Demons move the ball “out the front” at stoppages was a key take-out from the Bulldogs’ review of the Demons’ preliminary final thumping of Geelong. He said it reinforced the significance of the effort required to stop Gawn if the Bulldogs are to win.
While he’s a force at stoppages, Gawn has become elite at “covering the ground”, and stopping him from moving away from contests post-clearance is part of the Bulldogs’ plan.
That means players putting their bodies on the line against the 208cm giant.
“He gets in some really good positions around the ground,” Hunter said.
“You have to make him exert every bit of energy at every chance – that can limit his influence,” Hunter said.