It's reasonable to believe that Melbourne captain Max Gawn is fatigued by the 2024 year.
The Demons had a disappointing year without a finals appearance, but they faced significant challenges off the field.
Angus Brayshaw's abrupt retirement due to concussion. Joel Smith's alleged drug trafficking. Christian Petracca's life-altering injury and subsequent desire to depart the club. Clayton Oliver's now-yearly attempt to leave despite a hefty contract.
Gawn has been the frontman and somewhat of a spokesperson for all these issues, given the silence from Melbourne powerbrokers and his commitment to the media aspect of football, which he declared he enjoys.
"It put me in a tough situation a lot of times," Gawn said on theย Empowering Leaders podcast hosted by former Western Bulldogs player Luke Darcy.
"I'm constantly defending the club. And the latest stuff with 'Trac', it's worn me down, and I don't like that because I feel like I've always been able to handle it, but it's starting to wear me down.
"I can see it getting chewed... constantly chipped at, and I'm constantly trying to defend it.
"And I know what's happening in the four walls, but you're never going to trust that with all these spotfires.
"It's been a delicate time."
Thankfully for Melbourne fans, both Petracca and Oliver are staying put in 2025.
As for Gawn, a premiership captain at the Demons, he spoke about the person he's leaned on and looked at for leadership to navigate through the difficult times.
Club legend Jim Stynes.
Stynes is one of the most recognisable names in football, both for his work on and off the field.
A Brownlow medallist (1991), a two-time All-Australian (1991, 1993), four-time Kieth 'Bluey' Truscott medal winner (1991, 1995, 1996, 1997) and currently holds the most consecutive games player (244).
The Irish-born star had a strong hand in youth work and founded theย Reach Foundation to assist troubled adolescents, of which Gawn has followed in his footsteps as an ambassador.
However, a battle with cancer from 2009 to 2012 saw the game lose one of the greats.
"I knew Jim for two and a half years, but he's been my mentor for 16 years," Gawn said.
"Everything I've done, in terms of all my leadership, is the values that he's installed in me in two years that I didn't know at that time.
"And it's unfortunate that a passing is what put it in my head... but everything I do has been a clone of Jim and a mixture of my parents."
