EXCLUSIVE: Max Gawn admits 'closeness' with Clayton Oliver sets scene for awkward blockbuster
Melbourne captain Max Gawn will come up against good friend and premiership teammate Clayton Oliver for the first time on Sunday.
The four-time Demons best and fairest winner was asked to find a new home in last year's trade period, ultimately joining GWS for a future third-round pick.
The call came as Melbourne entered a new era under coach Steven King. The club looked to move on from the controversies and issues of the last few years, with Oliver and Christian Petracca departing and Steven May retiring.
READ MORE: League stunned as Ponga send off turns Origin opener
READ MORE: Epic Tedesco moment drags Blues to controversial victory
PLAYER RATINGS: Maroon 'badly exposed' after forced reshuffle
Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn of the Demons celebrate after the 2021 premiership. Getty
The trade has turned into an absolute bargain for GWS, with Oliver averaging 32 disposals, eight clearances and five tackles per game this season and filling the void left by Tom Green's torn ACL.
The 28-year-old has returned to the form that made him a three-time All-Australian at the Demons, after multiple years of struggles with his mental health and fitness.
On the flip side, Melbourne has bounced up the ladder under King, winning seven of their 11 games this season and turning into an offensive powerhouse.
Both sides would be happy with where things sit, turning it into one of the all-time win-win trades.
Gawn said he will treat Oliver like any other opposition player when the siren sounds in the Northern Territory on Sunday.
"Clarry thought he would get away from Alice Springs, but they scheduled the Giants in Alice Springs so he's back!" Gawn told Wide World of Sports on Thursday.
"I have probably as close a relationship with him as you can with a teammate, that I've had with Clayton Oliver in the last decade.
"It's been an incredibly fun journey. He's a Melbourne premiership player for life. But yes, once the siren goes, I couldn't really care who he is.
Clayton Oliver gets a handball away against West Coast. Getty
"And then the siren will go in two hours once it's finished, and then it'll be back best friends. I've played plenty of teammates before. This is just another one of them.
"There is a little bit of closeness because of how close Clayton and I are, but I've played plenty of ex-teammates in my time and you shake hands at the start, battle for two hours and then shake hands at the end."
Gawn, speaking while promoting FightMND's team-up with McCain, admits it would be nice to have this fit and firing Oliver at the Demons, but agrees that the move has worked out well for all parties.
"I mean, of course we wish we still had him, but footy moves on and I think this was the best result for both parties," Gawn said.
"I think that's come out now with where we sit on the ladder right now and how we look like we're playing our footy and then also how Clayton's playing his footy and was instrumental in an 81-point win against the reigning premiers.
"We've got to have a plan for him, which is fun. He'll have a plan for us. I dare say he's telling the Giants midfielders how we like to play in the middle.
"Funnily enough, Jack Steele has actually tagged him two or three times. I don't think that's going to be the match-up, but we've got Tom Sparrow, Jack Steele, Caleb Windsor, Kozzy Pickett, we all know him quite well."
Max Gawn with his FightMND beanie and a bucket of McCain chips Supplied
Oliver attempted to play down his first meeting with the Demons earlier in the week, pointing to the fact that he is one of three ex-Dees at the Giants.
"No, no, it's the (Toby) Bedford, (Jesse) Hogan, and Oliver Cup," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"There are three of us here.
"I haven't thought about it too much yet. I'm just going to treat it like another game, to be honest.
"I was at the Dees for 10 years and have a lot of great memories there. I got to win a flag and have a lot of great mates there. But it's a new chapter in my career now, and I'm loving it up here with the Giants. I'm just looking forward to playing for my team against the Dees."
Earlier in the season, Oliver took a little crack at the Demons, suggesting the training standards at the Giants are much higher.
Phoenix Gothard (left) and Clayton Oliver of the Giants celebrate. AFL Photos via Getty Images
"I came back pretty unfit to be honest. A little bit fat. Honestly these boys, the first session I came back I was running with Toby Bedford, Lachie Ash and mate, the standard they set is actually on another level," Oliver told Fox Footy at the time.
"We came back in November, there was 45 boys back, two weeks early, they're just that hungry. I think that's why I came here. I know what the talent we've got on the list, but I think it's the hard work. Adam Kingsley has put that in from the top, it's unreal."
The Giants, fresh off smashing Brisbane, will be looking to string some form together after struggling with injuries across the season.
Melbourne meanwhile went down to the Western Bulldogs in a thriller round 11, but need a win in Alice Springs to maintain their grip on a top six spot.
McCain chips will be available at the MCG on King's Birthday for the Big Freeze match, and they have committed to donate $1 from every cup of hot chips sold to FightMND.
