‘Should’ve put a sock in it’: Simon Goodwin’s regret over cryptic comments on Max Gawn

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says he regrets referencing star skipper Max Gawn’s personal issues related to a family member’s illness after the club’s loss to North Melbourne.

Goodwin revealed after Gawn was beaten by Tristan Xerri there was a “backstory” to the seven-time All-Australian Dees ruckman’s down performance in comments that drew criticism.

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Gawn has since defended Goodwin for remarks he recognised came from a place of “love” and “care,” though conceded he would’ve preferred his coach didn’t make excuses for him.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, the 2021 premiership coach says he went into “protective mode” and immediately sought out Gawn after his press conference.

“I should’ve put a sock in it, shouldn’t I?,” Goodwin began on Wednesday night’s program.

“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.

“He just gave me a hug and said: ‘It’s all good, we’re fine, we’ll keep moving forward’,” Goodwin said.

“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.”

The 59-point loss to the Kangaroos saw Melbourne fall to 0-2 on the season as Goodwin’s side looks to get its first win of 2025 against Gold Coast this Saturday at the MCG.

The Demons coach admitted his comments on Gawn ‘opens yourself up’ to wide-ranging criticism after it sparked scrutiny he was trying to deflect from the loss to North.

“Because it wasn’t articulated well and it was left for everyone to have their own interpretation, that’s what happens,” Goodwin added.

“People see it in a lot of different ways and a lot of different stories come out of it and a lot of different meaning takes place within it.

“As I said, we’re imperfect, but we move on.”