Melbourne captain Max Gawn believes his ruck battle against former teammate and Western Bulldogs counterpart Stefan Martin will be a “battle within a battle” in the AFL Grand Final.
Martin started his career at the Demons in 2008 before moving to the Lions and then the Bulldogs last year, and the pair will face off in what could be the most important contest on Saturday.
Despite the enormity of the occasion, Gawn has no bad blood with his former teammate and admitted they had been texting throughout the week.
“Stef’s almost one of my most played rucks across the journey, we rucked against each other for two or three years when he was at the Dees,” he said at the AFL’s annual Grand Final press conference on Friday.
“I’d still call him a close mate, so I’m really excited for that first centre bounce.
“I can’t get my mind off that first centre bounce. He’s an interesting character, he’s a real close friend, we’ve been texting this week and he’s such a unique ruck.”
Martin was relatively quiet during his first game in three months in the Dog’s Preliminary Final win, while Gawn has been the best ruckman in the league this season, rewarded with the captaincy of the 2021 All-Australian team.
Despite his opponent’s recent lack of game time, Gawn is still anticipating a “battle.”
“He plays a bit undersized but he’s so strong,” Gawn said.
“It’s going to be a battle, obviously Tim (English) will come in there at times as well, I’ve got Luke (Jackson), so it will be a battle within a battle.
“I’m not sure everyone will be looking at the ruck contest as the centre piece of that game, but I certainly think it’s a battle within a battle.”
The Demons and Dogs will line up on the last Saturday in September in fantastic shape, both coming off huge Preliminary Final wins and no major injuries from the finals series.