‘Ambitious’: Coach pours cold water on Gawn talk

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says Max Gawn’s bid to miss only one game through injury is “ambitious” as he remains coy on who will replace the star ruckman.

Goodwin would not commit to a club debut for Brisbane recruit Tom Fullarton or potential first-gamer Will Verrall ahead of Saturday night’s crucial clash against Essendon.

It comes as the Demons made the “shattering” decision to send Charlie Spargo for season-ending surgery on an achilles issue that has kept him sidelined since opening round.

Gawn on Tuesday declared his intent to return in time for the Demons’ trip to Perth to face Fremantle next week, but Goodwin agreed with Melbourne’s doctors that a return that quick was unlikely.

The Melbourne captain is desperate to be on the park for what he views as “eight-point games” against the Dockers and GWS that could determine the Demons’ finals hopes.

“(One week) is ambitious. We’re certainly of the mindset that it’s probably going to be more like to or three, but Max is Max,” Goodwin said.

“He’s the ultimate professional, and his mindset is always around, ‘How can I do my very best and get myself back the quickest, in the best shape?’

“That mindset puts him in a great position … we’re thinking it’s more likely to be two or three (weeks) – we’ll rely on our medical team to make the best decision in that.”

Goodwin said replacing Gawn for a battle with Essendon’s Sam Draper would “present an opportunity” for the Demons to improve as a side.

He would not reveal his selection plans but said Fullarton and Verrall were “certainly in the mix”.

Fullarton did not play in the VFL last weekend after he was named an emergency for the win over the Eagles, leaving Verrall as the sole ruck with 28 hit-outs and four clearances in an impressive performance against Brisbane’s Darcy Fort.

Verrall, 20, recently signed a one-year contract extension until the end of next season.

“(Gawn) is a tough man to replace, there’s no question about that, but it’s like anything that we’ve been able to deal with in recent times, whether it be Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca, you always look at what your opportunities are in this space,” Goodwin said.

“For us, with Max being out, it gives us the chance to do that and maybe some personnel that’s different, but also some method, that sits within that role.

“So, we’ll look at all that. We’re still working through some of that at this stage of the week of what that might look like.

“It presents us with an opportunity and one that we’ll look at and try and get better as a team again.

“(Fullarton) is certainly in the mix as part of those discussions. As I said, we’ll look at personnel; Tom’s within that, Will Verrall’s in that, and we’ll also look at what some of that method within the ruck role provides for us.”

Spargo, 24, will not be able to return until next season, the final year of his contract.

“He’s really struggled with his achilles this year and we’ve tried multiple things to get it right, and it’s come to a point where surgery is the best option left for us,” Goodwin said.