MELBOURNE expects a fairer run for Max Gawn after they sought AFL clarification on physical tactics against the star ruckman.
The Demons have confirmed they went to the league following last weekend’s upset round-one loss to Port Adelaide.
Power co-captain Tom Jonas was fined for bumping Gawn and Port clearly went after the Demons’ All-Australian ruckman.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin said it was far from a one-off occurrence.
“He didn’t play a great game, but in saying that we also know that some of the things weren’t within the rules of the game,” Goodwin said
“That’s been relayed to us, so it will work both ways there.
“We have some clarification about what’s legal and what’s not legal … it’s been a trend for a while.”
Gawn also was hospitalised before last weekend because of a skin problem, but Goodwin is upbeat that he will return to his best.
“He’s feeling fine, he’s ready to go,” he said.
“He’s a really proud person, Max, we’re looking for a big response.”
After a lacklustre pre-season and their poor round-one performance, Melbourne face a massive test on Saturday night against Geelong at their GMHBA Stadium fortress.
As much as Port targeted Gawn, Melbourne also failed to match the Power’s aggression.
“The DNA of our footy club is to tackle hard, to win the ball in the contest and play that style … that hasn’t been evident,” Goodwin said.
“That’s our challenge as a footy club, to get that back and get it back pretty quickly.”
The Demons must up their game, given they only have two wins and a draw from their last 11 trips down the highway.
“If you want to get back playing your best footy, it’s a great place to do it,” Goodwin said.
“We also knew it was going to be a bit of a slow build for us.
“We’ve seen a week now and we need to get ourselves moving – we need to get some urgency in us as a club.
“Our playing group, they’re ready and they want to do something about it.”
Steven May will return from suspension to make his Melbourne debut, but otherwise Goodwin does not expect many changes to their side.
“We need to build some continuity and consistency in how we play,” he said.
© AAP 2019
