'Wasted year': Max Gawn outs AFL fan's ill-fated sledging attempt
AFL fan favourite Max Gawn has taken to social media to share a Port Adelaide's hilariously ill-fated attempt to play some mind games with the Demons star ahead of next week's grand final.
The Demons won through to the club's first grand final since 2000 after they proved too good for Geelong in the preliminary final.
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It was at this point that one Port Adelaide fan, clearly riding a massive wave of confidence in their team, sent Gawn some mail.
Obviously written and mailed prior to Port Adelaide's preliminary final thrashing at the hands of the Western Bulldogs, the fan sledged Gawn and the Demons and treated the grand final result as a foregone conclusion.
Unfortunately for the anonymous Power fan, they weren't to know just how far ahead of themselves they had gotten, before the Bulldogs trounced the Power in the preliminary final.
"Take a good look children. Hello little boys over there in the West. We training REALLY hard? You better be," the letter began.
"Because by the time you receive this — the MIGHTY PORT ADELAIDE will have belted the red white and blue puppies off Adelaide Oval. Guess what children — WE are coming for YOU now.
"This is OUR year of HISTORY IN THE MAKING. We can’t wait to have our hands on OUR trophy and bring it home to Port Adelaide where it belongs.
"Another wasted year for you eh children?"
The letter continued for several more lines in a similar fashion, with Gawn sharing an image of the letter on his Instagram page.
The Demons ruckman captioned it "I like the guts to send it early", adding some emojis for good measure.
Gawn booted five goals against Geelong to help the Demons win through to a long-awaited grand final, which comes off the back of years of cellar-dwelling on the AFL ladder.
Demon ace Gawn looms large for Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says what happens at Melbourne ace Max Gawn's feet will be "absolutely critical" in deciding the AFL premiership.
While Gawn's expert tap-work with either hand looms large in the September 25 grand final, Beveridge says what happens after the ruck contests is pivotal.
Gawn, fresh from his five-goal preliminary final heroics, leads the competition for hit-outs this season - nearly 100 more than the next best, West Coast's Nic Naitainui.
And the inspirational Demons captain has ruled the Bulldogs rucks in their two clashes this year.
In round 11, Gawn had more hit-outs, 27, than Bulldog rucks Jordon Sweet and Tim English, who combined for 26 in a match the Demons won by 28 points.
In round 19, Gawn recorded a whopping 56 hit-outs against English and Josh Schache, who managed only a combined 18 - though the Dogs won by 20 points.
But in the grand final, the Bulldogs will pit 34-year-old veteran Stefan Martin, recovered from various injuries, against Gawn.
"He (Gawn) is such an influential player," Beveridge told reporters.
"He just strings outstanding performance after outstanding performance together and is obviously a great leader of the Melbourne Football Club, we really respect him and what he does."
Martin played for the Demons in 2008-12, a period coinciding with Gawn's arrival at Melbourne in 2010.
And the 199cm tall Martin locked horns with the 208cm tall Gawn when moving to Brisbane from 2013-20 before joining the Dogs this season.
"Stef is nowhere near as tall as Max but there's a strength in Stefan's game that we will call on that will be important in that battle," Beveridge said.
"And then what happens around their feet will be absolutely critical in the outcome."
With AAP
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