{"id":941181,"date":"2026-10-26T05:22:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/941181\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T05:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:22:19","slug":"max-gawn-backs-melbournes-brutal-trade-decisions-gather-round-fixture-revealed-by-afl-dean-solomon-joins-gold-coast-suns-as-assistant-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/941181\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Gawn backs Melbourne\u2019s brutal trade decisions; Gather Round fixture revealed by AFL; Dean Solomon joins Gold Coast Suns as assistant coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated October 26, 2026 \u2014 4:01pm,first published 12:59pm<\/p>\n

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In today\u2019s AFL briefing:Max Gawn backs brutal list calls at Melbourne ahead of his own contract talksButters\u2019 return to Adelaide highlights Gather Round programDean Solomon to join Damien Hardwick at Gold CoastButters game to be a focus of Gather Round<\/p>\n

Greg Dundas<\/p>\n

Zak Butters will be bracing a fiery reception when he returns to Adelaide to play against the Power for the first time when the Western Bulldogs help draw a curtain on next year\u2019s Gather Round.<\/p>\n

\"LookLook away, Port fans: Zak Butters in Western Bulldogs colours.Getty Images<\/p>\n

The clash between Port Adelaide and Butters\u2019 new club is the ninth game of the Gather Round fixture released by the AFL on Monday, and even has South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas \u2013 an avid Power fan \u2013 fired up.<\/p>\n

Revered at the Power after three best and fairest awards and three All-Australian guernseys from 156 games, Butters officially became a Bulldog<\/a> earlier this month, signing the richest contract in AFL history.<\/p>\n

He stands to earn at least $17 million over the next nine years after crossing to the Dogs as a restricted free agent, aided by a complex side deal that convinced Port<\/a> not to match the deal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Raised near Bacchus Marsh as a Bulldogs supporter, Butters\u2019 future was the subject of conjecture throughout the 2026 season, with the Dogs pipping Geelong for his coveted signature.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not yet clear, how Port\u2019s passionate fan base will respond to Butters, but the AFL have capitalised on the appeal of his clash with his former teammates by making it a marquee match of Gather Round.<\/p>\n

It is one of three blockbuster games the league has scheduled at the Adelaide Oval to underpin the South Australian-based round – round four of the 2027 season.<\/p>\n

The festivities will open on Thursday April 8, with the Crows seeking revenge for their semi-final loss in 2026 to the Brisbane Lions, and close four days later with Butters facing his former side.<\/p>\n

In between, the league has scheduled a humdinger of a Saturday-night match between leading premiership fancies Fremantle and Hawthorn.<\/p>\n

There are two other games scheduled at the Adelaide Oval across the weekend \u2013 Sydney v Collingwood on the Friday night and an early Saturday game between Carlton and Melbourne, who met in a wildcard final in 2026.<\/p>\n

Gold Coast, GWS, Geelong and St Kilda are the four teams heading to the Barossa for their Gather Round games, while Richmond, West Coast, Essendon and North Melbourne are bound for Norwood Oval.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Trade<\/a><\/p>\n

Malinauskas \u2013 an avid Power fan \u2013 was quick to spruik the Gather Round program, which coincides with the Easter school holidays, and the inclusion of a players\u2019 parade on the Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blockbuster weekend of footy will be boosted with the inaugural Players Parade on Friday, allowing fans to see their heroes from all 18 clubs in one spot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I\u2019m looking forward to being at a packed Adelaide Oval to see Zak Butters take on his former teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gawn applauds \u2018brutal\u2019 Melbourne list calls<\/p>\n

Jon Pierik<\/p>\n

Melbourne captain Max Gawn has applauded the club\u2019s \u201cbrutal\u201d list-management calls which led to the departure of favourite son Jack Viney, but hopes he can finish his career as a one-club player.<\/p>\n

\"MelbourneMelbourne captain Max Gawn cycles alongside Tour de France champion Cadel Evans ahead of the Great Ocean Road race.AAPIMAGE<\/p>\n

Gawn is off contract in 2027, but at 33 is still playing some of the best football of his career, which he attributes, in part, to his punishing off-season cycling regime.<\/p>\n

The 2021 premiership skipper won All-Australian selection for the ninth time in 2026, and is keen to remain a Demon for life when contract discussions open. However, he understands the business of football, having watched his fellow premiership on-ball brigade of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Viney, along with key defender Steven May, depart over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty keen in Melbourne. I understand \u2018Vines\u2019 would have said the same thing 12 months ago. So, I\u2019ve just applauded \u2018Lamby\u2019 [list boss Tim Lamb] and King [coach Steven King], and if I\u2019m the one that has to move on next year, and I still think there\u2019s footy ahead of me, then that conversation will come, but right now, it does look like my finish will be with the Demons,\u201d Gawn said on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"KickingKicking on: Melbourne skipper Max Gawn is off contract in 2027, and wants to finish his career as a one-club player.Getty Images<\/p>\n

However, speaking as an ambassador at the launch of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race<\/a>, Gawn hinted he would be open to offers, should negotiations with the Demons not go as planned, and if new club Tasmania came calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, my phone\u2019s always open,\u201d Gawn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I\u2019m keen to jump in the commentary box with \u2018Kino\u2019 [SBS commentator Matt Keenan] and commentate the Tour de France at some point as well. So if SBS want to jump into my phone \u2026 but, no, I\u2019m pretty keen to finish up in Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Kysaiah<\/a><\/p>\n

Viney, 32, managed only one game this season because of Achilles and back injuries, and struggled when recalled for the wildcard final against Carlton<\/a>, the Demons losing by 19 points. He was given the option to explore opportunities elsewhere, or face the possibility of long spells in the VFL.<\/p>\n

Viney and fellow Demon Trent Rivers were traded to West Coast on the final day of the trade period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI applaud the list management team; they\u2019ve made some brutal decisions,\u201d Gawn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone more brutal than probably Jack this year, but you\u2019ve seen with what we\u2019re able to do this year, with most people tipping us [to finish] bottom four, and we come out and play some pretty good footy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gawn said he was delighted that Essendon and the Eagles showed interest in Viney, his former co-captain.<\/p>\n

\"FreshFresh start: Ex-Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney will continue his career with West Coast after being traded to the Eagles on the final day of the trade period.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI went from a little bit of surprise [at his departure], and then I went a little bit of other clubs were making him feel generally loved,\u201d Gawn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, he\u2019s like, once it got to a point where West Coast were interested, he\u2019s like: \u2018I want to get there so bad, I want to rejuvenate my career, I want to take my family over there\u2019. So I\u2019m really excited for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gawn said the Demons had needed a substantial make-over, having seen how quickly Geelong transformed, even after winning the 2022 premiership. Only nine Demons players now remain from the 2021 premiership team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sat there and looked at that [2022 Geelong] team, I was like, OK, and then they play in the grand final three years later, and they had 10 or 15 new players in that team. And, at the same time, Melbourne was still running the round with the \u201921 premiership team,\u201d Gawn said.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Essendon\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like, well, we haven\u2019t changed or adapted or moved on. We\u2019re still trying to win it again with the \u201921 premiership team, and Geelong, at that very same time, had changed over 15 players. It\u2019s like, OK, this is what\u2019s needed in a way to stay in the modern game.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cycling enthusiast who now has his own podcast on the sport, Gawn\u2019s pre-season training program has so far included \u201cEveresting\u201d South Australia\u2019s exhausting Willunga Hill, riding the 3.7km climb 39.5 times in 21 hours, and another punishing ride on the island of Phuket in Thailand. He will soon head to Patagonia, at the southern end of South America, to ride in the wilderness. This program will also include running.<\/p>\n

Solomon gets Gold Coast gig<\/p>\n

After coaching Essendon through the second half of 2026, Dean Solomon will return to Gold Coast as an assistant coach to Damien Hardwick.<\/p>\n

\"DeanDean Solomon as coach of Essendon.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Solomon, now 46, was on the coaching staff at the Suns from the club\u2019s inception in the AFL in 2011 to 2020, even serving three games as interim coach following the departure of Rodney Eade in 2017.<\/p>\n

Solomon later joined the board at Essendon \u2013 the club where he made his name as a player and was part of the 2000 premiership team \u2013 but relinquished that position a year ago to return to a hands-on coaching role.<\/p>\n

He started the 2026 season as an assistant to Brad Scott, and became the club\u2019s stop-gap coach when Scott was sacked mid-season. Despite holding some ambition to become the senior coach permanently, Solomon\u2019s hopes were dented by a record of just one win from his 12 games in charge.<\/p>\n

After hiring Solomon\u2019s former teammate Mark McVeigh as senior coach for 2027, Essendon announced last month that Solomon had declined their offer of another role in the football department and would return to live in NSW with his wife and children.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the Suns spruiked Solomon\u2019s recruitment as a homecoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cDean played a significant role across our club\u2019s first decade in the competition, and his expertise and industry experience will be instrumental in helping us take steps forward in the years ahead,\u201d Gold Coast\u2019s general manager of football Craig Cameron said.<\/p>\n

Solomon said the Suns job aligned with his family circumstances .<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Ethan<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity to return to the Gold Coast Suns to work alongside and learn from Damien Hardwick and an experienced group of coaches is one I\u2019m really excited by,\u201d Solomon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe potential of the list that has been assembled is incredibly inviting and I see it as an exciting time to be part of the Suns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales has been home for my family and I for over 16 years now, so to be able to be with my wife and kids again and still coach at the highest level at a club where I\u2019ve previously spent 10 years, is something I\u2019m very grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Close\"JonJon Pierik<\/a> is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.Default avatarGreg Dundas<\/a> \u2013 Greg is a desk editor at The AgeFrom our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated October 26, 2026 \u2014 4:01pm,first published 12:59pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":941182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,85],"class_list":["post-941181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=941181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/941181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/941182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=941181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=941181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=941181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}