Goodwin’s candour invites unwanted attention on Gawn but empathy can’t be faulted

“I’m not going to go into the details, but he’s someone that ... there’s footy, and there’s some stuff in life. We’ve just got to understand that people have backstories, and he’s someone that we love dearly and will certainly be part of the response” – Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin on his captain Max Gawn, after the skipper was beaten in the ruck duel by North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri on Sunday.

Simon Goodwin’s motives can’t be faulted. The senior coach put Max Gawn’s private travails into the public domain in an attempt to provide the champion with a partial alibi for his performance on Sunday.

Max Gawn was not at his best against North Melbourne. Credit: Getty Images

Goodwin wasn’t asked, “what was the issue with the skipper?” The question was simply one of how Gawn was feeling about being eclipsed by Xerri, and whether his pride had been dented.

Gawn has been dealing with family matters. Goodwin knew the background and wanted to provide the football public with some context, without any specifics.

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