Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin admits he shouldn't have revealed his captain Max Gawn's personal troubles following the 59-point loss to North Melbourne.
Goodwin came under fire as he attributed Gawn's down performance to something going on behind the scenes, bringing undue attention to the Demons skipper and the club.
On Tuesday, the seven-time All-Australian defender understood where his coach was coming from, defending him on the radio.
But in a last-ditch attempt to put the story to bed, Goodwin, speaking on Fox Footy's AFL360, admitted he got it wrong.
"I should've put a sock in it, shouldn't I?" Goodwin said on AFL360.
"I just didn't get it right ... I think as a coach you go into this protective mode. I love the big fella, and I love everything he's about and what he does for our footy club.
"I didn't articulate it in the way I would've liked. As soon as I walked out, I knew I had to go and speak to him pretty quickly.
"He was fine, he knew the place it was coming from. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with Max; he's fine.
"And it certainly wasn't to diminish the game Tristan Xerri played; he was unbelievable. I gave him five coaches' votes.
"If I had my time again, I certainly wouldn't go there. But as a coach, sometimes that protective mode comes out."
Goodwin reiterated that Gawn had no issues with him when the coach apologised to his skipper in the aftermath.
"It wasn't articulated well, and it was left for everyone to have their own interpretation; that's what happens," Goodwin added.
"He just gave me a hug and said: 'It's all good, we're fine, we'll keep moving forward. '
"That's the type of relationship we have, we have great care for one another. And we're not going to get everything right, we're imperfect in what we do."
It comes as Melbourne desperately needs to notch a win in 2025, going down to the Kangaroos and GWS in the opening weeks.
They'll take on Gold Coast at the MCG on Saturday.
The Demons have won the past 12 encounters against the Suns, dating back to 2014.
