Paul Roos Speaks About The Impact Of Max Gawn’s Injury On Melbourne

Paul Roos has spoken about the impact Max Gawn’s injury will have on Melbourne going forward.

Gawn hurt his hamstring in the Dees’ loss to Geelong at Etihad Stadium yesterday, and scans today revealed the injury is worse than first feared.

There are fears Gawn may miss up to three months of footy.

Roos said that Gawn’s injury may not have the disastrous impact on the Dees’ season that it initially seemed, given the form of the back up ruck Jake Spencer.

“Obviously they want him (Gawn) playing, so let’s get that out front right up,” Roosy said.

“But he’s not going to so the next stage is who’s next in line, and look Jake Spencer will clearly come in.

“He’s been in pretty good form in the JLT series, and I know there was some debate around if they could pick both of them for round one.”

Roos also feels that Melbourne’s midfield is strong enough to overcome the loss of a dominant ruck.

“I think the other thing is they’re better placed now than they were last year, the year before,” Roos said.

“Their midfield depth, as we’ve seen in the first three weeks, is certainly as good as its been.”

That’s not to say there aren’t some serious challenges ahead for the Dees though.

“The next two weeks are gonna be difficult, you’ve got Lewis and Hogan out for this week and Lewis the week after so it’s not just about Max Gawn,” Roos said.

“I think overall — and let’s wait and see how long he’s out for — but they are better covered now to be able to do it because of their midfield depth and their talent, and let’s just hope Max is back sooner rather than later.”