MAX GAWN has no issue with a heckling fan berating him from over the fence but says the spectator who offered him some words of advice at Etihad Stadium on Sunday was right on the edge of what is acceptable when it comes to player-fan interaction.
The Melbourne ruckman's exchange with an over-zealous supporter in the third term of Sunday's match against Essendon received plenty of attention, with stadium's security warning the spectator about his behaviour.
Gawn, who was dominant throughout the match, had the last laugh when he kicked his second banana goal of the quarter and turned back around to the fan to let him know who had just kicked the goal.
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"They (the words of advice) probably weren't for the one o'clock Sunday Funday game (timeslot), I don't think," Gawn told AFL.com.au.
"They were not for my ears, let alone a young person's ears. Nothing vilification wise, but I just let him know that I had a better beard and put the banana in."
The paradox in Gawn's improved conversion from a tight angle – he dobbed two checksides from the exact same spot in the third quarter – comes after the ruckman failed to convert two sitters against Geelong, which would have won the Demons the match, and Hawthorn earlier this season.
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As always, Gawn remained in good humour about his struggles in front of goal.
"I practice most goals, especially around the 30m mark is where I get a lot of my marks so you've got to practice your bananas and snaps," Gawn said.
"Unfortunately, my bananas are looking a whole lot better than my drop punts at the moment so I might have to checkside from 50 (metres out)."
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Gawn has now booted only 10 goals from 20 set shots between 15m and 30m out, including shooting to the left on eight occasions, while he also missed a shot from 45m out against the Bombers.
"When you overdo something sometimes they can go the other way and you can go backwards. I've had a heap of set shots over the last three weeks and it's still in my head," Gawn said.
"I've just got to clear it out, but the second set shot I went for I put it on the right post and it didn't swing the way I wanted it to, so it's a nice little brain game for me."
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Melbourne finally took advantage of Gawn's dominance in the ruck against the Bombers, winning the centre clearances 16-4.
Gawn also had 24 hit-outs to advantage (42 overall), including 10 in the third term, which was an AFL season-high according to Champion Data.
"The midfield don't appreciate everyone slamming us. We try our arses off and some of it is deserved – Richmond really belted us in the midfield, which was disappointing," Gawn said.
"But you could see a few guys that were really hurting this week, especially around our midfield meetings so we can't just have that as a one-off game."
