Just now, rpfc said:

I don’t know why it couldn’t happen next year. 

Maybe because the club needs to know where it stands financially to be able to attract certain players or sign other extensions like Viney, McVee and May.

The more you have planned out, the easier it is to shuffle things around to accommodate other deals.

Gawn was never not going to get an extension if he wanted one, we all know this. So why not just get it done instead of wasting your time next year, when perhaps you'll have bigger fish to fry?

And who is to say another club won't approach him, the way North approached Viney next year, which will drive up his price? Not saying he would ever leave, but it would give him bargaining power.

 

48 minutes ago, Dee*ceiving said:

He's a freak athelete Gawn. Built for endurance and with inspiring leavels of resilience and mental strength. 

We should also consider that Max played very little footy between 17 and 22 due to injury. Plenty of gas in the tank, though I'd prefer he only play 16 - 18 games in the H&A season. If we can find him am effective long term understudy he could go on another 5 years.

Every player is only one injury away from retirement whether 21 or 31. 

(to yours, D-c, as representative of several others, and sorry, all, if mentioned elsewhere)

Young Ned Moyle, languishing in the Suns Twos, and who doesn't mind productive time in the forward line, evidently, would have seen something he ought to have liked, first hand, on Saturday, in a 'team-and-mentor' package.

Edited August 19, 20241 yr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

10 hours ago, binman said:

Cranky, can you please show me the data on your last paragraph.

It's not that i think that you just made that 'statistic' up, I'm just thinking i might want to to trot that fact out at some stage and I want to have the stats to back it is.

Love your work by the way.

The data is anecdotal. Of the many hundreds of ruckmen I have seen since the 1960's who was still running around at AFL level at 35 ?  I can think of very few Salmon, Mumford, Sandilands, Goldstein.

Even tough stalwarts like Stynes & Ditterich were cooked by then.

If you know of others feel free to tell us.

7 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

The data is anecdotal. Of the many hundreds of ruckmen I have seen since the 1960's who was still running around at AFL level at 35 ?  I can think of very few Salmon, Mumford, Sandilands, Goldstein.

Even tough stalwarts like Stynes & Ditterich were cooked by then.

If you know of others feel free to tell us.

The data is anecdotal?

So, to clarify when you say 'statistically very few ruckmen are any good after 33' you actually mean your vibes are that there aren't many examples of rucks playing good footy at 35.

Glad we cleared that up.

Interestingly you list some terrific examples of rucks playing good footy in their mid 30s. Ta. No reason then maxy couldn't follow in their footsteps.

By the by, why should I list other examples?

You are the one making the argument nor me.

Gawny has honestly showed no signs of slowing down. My biggest concern for older players is repeat soft tissue injuries a la Lachie Hunter.

If Goldy can play till 36 I see no reason Gawn can't push into his mid 30s.

20 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

The data is anecdotal. Of the many hundreds of ruckmen I have seen since the 1960's who was still running around at AFL level at 35 ?  I can think of very few Salmon, Mumford, Sandilands, Goldstein.

Even tough stalwarts like Stynes & Ditterich were cooked by then.

If you know of others feel free to tell us.

I don’t understand what you mean when you say Data is anecdotal? Data is literally the opposite of anectdotal as it’s not a personal story or reflection, it’s hard numbers

Only Melbourne supporters would argue that extending the contract of one of our greatest ever  players and premiership captain, who also happens to be the best ruckman the game has probably ever seen, is not a good thing. 
 

20 hours ago, rpfc said:

Hate to sound like DeeSpencer here, I really hate it, but what are we doing? He had a year to run. He’s 33 at the end of the deal, now 35. I have said it before - Gawn will not wimper into the night in a pocket - he will go out doing a massive injury playing first ruck. He should be on year to year contracts to give us flexibility. And he should hand over the captaincy to Lever or (here we go) Petracca.

Ah well, what’s done is done, but when a resigning makes more sense as a PR move than for list health - rpfc ain’t gonna like it.

Perhaps it is to stop some pretentious [censored] from another club offering him a deal as a part-time ruck coach (such as Clarko trying pinch Viney)? Gawny will probably be in demand as a coach and leader, but this effectively shuts the door on a twilight stint elsewhere as a player.

1 hour ago, binman said:

The data is anecdotal?

So, to clarify when you say 'statistically very few ruckmen are any good after 33' you actually mean your vibes are that there aren't many examples of rucks playing good footy at 35.

Glad we cleared that up.

Interestingly you list some terrific examples of rucks playing good footy in their mid 30s. Ta. No reason then maxy couldn't follow in their footsteps.

By the by, why should I list other examples?

You are the one making the argument nor me.

Not vibes. I can actually name 4 ruckmen out of say 500 I've seen in my lifetime that played at the highest level after 35. 

That makes it less than 1%.

It's easy Binman just name off the top of your head the other 20 or 30 ruckmen who played good footy at 35+.

 

 

1 hour ago, BoBo said:

I don’t understand what you mean when you say Data is anecdotal? Data is literally the opposite of anectdotal as it’s not a personal story or reflection, it’s hard numbers

In other words you cannot name any other ruckmen, apart from those I mentioned, that played footy after 35 ?

4 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

Not vibes. I can actually name 4 ruckmen out of say 500 I've seen in my lifetime that played at the highest level after 35. 

That makes it less than 1%.

It's easy Binman just name off the top of your head the other 20 or 30 ruckmen who played good footy at 35+.

 

 

Max Gawn is comfortably in the top 1% of ruckmen.

7 minutes ago, Chook said:

Max Gawn is comfortably in the top 1% of ruckmen.

He is actually in the top 0.1% because there is simply nobody better than him in the last decade, and arguably longer. 
If he gets his 7th AA jacket, which he should, that will just prove it. 

39 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

In other words you cannot name any other ruckmen, apart from those I mentioned, that played footy after 35 ?

Nah I can easy, Jeff White was 72 years old when he retired. I know, because I know someone close to him and they told me. 

Without using any data (because it’s ‘anecdotal’ like you said and therefore not to be trusted) can you prove me wrong please?

54 minutes ago, BoBo said:

Nah I can easy, Jeff White was 72 years old when he retired. I know, because I know someone close to him and they told me. 

Without using any data (because it’s ‘anecdotal’ like you said and therefore not to be trusted) can you prove me wrong please?

Apology accepted 

Gary Dempsey

Justin Madden

Barry Round

A few handy ones not far off. John Nicholls, Carl Ditterich, Simon Madden and Sam Newman were all a lot closer to 35 than 34 when they played their last games.

That is an elite group and Gawn sits comfortably among them. 

Gawn has played 222 games.

111 wins / 1 draw / 111 losses

Crazy. Let's hope he retires with a winning record.

45 minutes ago, seventyfour said:

Gawn has played 222 games.

111 wins / 1 draw / 111 losses

Crazy. Let's hope he retires with a winning record.

That's 223?

13 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

I can actually name 4 ruckmen out of say 500

Real scientific that approach 

22 hours ago, Ouch! said:

Correct. So statistically minded me checked a few ruckmen, and these were just some who came to mind.

• Aaron Sandilands went on till 36
• Dean Cox was 33
• Todd Goldstein is 36 and still playing
• Simon Madden was 35 ish
• Justin Madden was 35 ish

@Cranky Franky Why can't Gawn go on for a similar amount of time?, given that this extension doesn't mean he'll be captain for another 3 years, or even that he'll be our main ruck. 

Note I am not disagreeing with your comments that you would prefer single year contracts, as I would with most players north of 30yrs. There is no doubt that the timing of Gawns statement, lined up with the Petracca and Viney speculation is designed to show a fair dollop of confidence in the club and it's direction. 

 

If l read you correctly, you are saying Max is confident about the club?

So he sees a bright future and believes in our culture - yes , our club culture.

on yer Max !