AFL champion Max Gawn sidelined after suffering nasty throat fracture at training

Melbourne champion Max Gawn has been sidelined with a nasty throat injury.

The 32-year-old suffered the blow at training, later diagnosed as a fractured larynx.

The club confirmed the news on Thursday.

“Max sustained a fractured larynx following a hit to the throat during training this week,” high performance manager Selwyn Griffith said.

“As part of his recovery, Max won’t be able to exercise for the next two weeks, followed by a period of non-contact training for an additional four weeks.”

He said despite the setback, Gawn was recovering well and remained in “good spirits”.

It’s a blow for Melbourne after another pre-season of unwanted headlines.

After the team missed out on finals, star midfielder Clayton Oliver’s future was thrust into the spotlight for the second trade period in as many years, with Geelong making a big push to land the midfielder.

Fellow superstar Christian Petracca also explored a trade away from the club, while CEO Gary Pert stepped down just two months after Kate Roffey departed her post as president.

Forward Joel Smith was also handed a four-year AFL ban for cocaine use and trafficking in October.

Smith, 28, had initially hoped for as little as a three-month ban, but things escalated dramatically in February when SIA charged Smith with three anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code over alleged “trafficking or attempted trafficking” of cocaine to third parties.

Gawn is a seven time All-Australian and a two-time best-and-fairest winner.

He has been captain since 2020 and while he will likely continue in that role, a recent club review identified a leadership void under the 32-year-old.

In other injury news, experienced duo Christian Salem and Bayley Fritsch have had minor surgeries and entering into rehab alongside one another.“Christian and Bayley both had arthroscopes at the end of the season,” Griffith said.“They’ve done a fantastic job over the off-season and both have integrated into full training now, and coping really well with that.”

Defender Jake Lever is in his final month of rehab after having an arthroscope as well as shoulder surgery.

“Jake had a knee arthroscope and shoulder surgery in the off-season,” Griffith said.“He’s non-contact from a shoulder perspective as we ensure the range and strength is adequate before his integration.“His knee is going really well and he’s started to get some good running loads up.

“He’ll still be in a modified environment once we return from Christmas, more so from the shoulder perspective as we build his tolerance to contact training.“We expect that Jake will be full training, by the end of January.”

After missing nearly the entire 2024 season with an Achilles injury, small forward Charlie Spargo will finally return to full training in the new year.

“Charlie obviously had that really frustrating year from an Achilles perspective, but he’s done an awesome job over the off-season and since he’s come back,” Griffith said.

“He’s now integrated into skills with the group and is building his conditioning volume.”