A well known figure in AFL, Max Gawn will hit a major milestone this weekend when he plays his 250th AFL Game. The long serving Melbourne ruckman, is in his 16th Season with the club, and has been captaining the side since 2020.
Born to New Zealand parents, Max moved to Greymouth in the south island of New Zealand at a young age, before making a permanent move to Melbourne. He played a variety of different sports growing up, including Rugby Union and Basketball, but it was AFL that became his number one sport.
Standing at 209cm, the now 34 year old was the 34th pick in the 2009 AFL Draft, being selected by Melbourne, but after having ACL surgery in 2009, he would have to wait until 2011 to make his debut with the club midway through the season. He would then go on to miss the entire 2012 season due to another knee injury.
From 2013 onwards he started making more regular appearances with the club, and in 2016 after a strong preseason was added to the clubs leadership group, and would go on to have an incredible season, being awarded with his first of 8 All Australian team selections.
Earning the captaincy in 2020, Gawn has stood up as a leader time and time again, and has quite often lead the charge both on and off the field. While his team has struggled on field in recent years, in 2021 he lead Melbourne to their first Premiership in 57 years.
Often regarded as one of the best rucks in the game, Max’s achievement of 250 games is a true testament to his character and work ethic, setting himself aside as one of the games greatest.
You can watch him play his 250th live this Sunday on Sky Sport 5, Coverage starts at 5:00pm
