Melbourne skipper Max Gawn has detailed his emotions after hearing of the club's plans to sack coach Simon Goodwin.
In a move that had been debated for some time, yet still came as a shock following the Demons' 83-point victory over West Coast, Goodwin was told on Monday night his time at the club was coming to an end.
He had the option of coaching out the season, but opted to terminate his nine-year stint with the club immediately.
Gawn, who has previously called Goodwin a great friend and his favourite coach in the AFL, initially joked on Triple M’s Mick in the Morning that he took the radio job "to get involved in some fun stuff".
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He then explained the process of how he learned the news.
“I found out Monday night, the Test match was coming to a climax between England and India, and I get a phone call from Alan Richardson and David Chippindall saying ‘can we come over?’," Gawn said.
"And they knock on the door within a minute of the phone call, so I reckon they might have been out of the front.
"They walked me through the process and I appreciate that I was involved in some early conversations. By Tuesday morning, it was all out there.”
The ruckman admits he was shocked at the news, but was at least pleased it hadn't leaked ahead of the announcement.
“I was shocked as most people were … that’s good (management) in my eyes, if you did see it coming, it means things were leaking and the board are struggling to keep things in-house," he reasoned.
"I’ve had some great times with Goody. We’ve had nine years (together) and as an assistant coach, it’s 11 years.”
Asked if he was angry at the move, Gawn replied: “No, definitely not angry. I’m a supporter of the team. I love the Melbourne Football Club.
"They’ve sacked people that I love before, and I move on, and so do they.
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"This one is harder to take at present, but I have some great relationships with the people that have made the decision, and they’ve explained carefully to me why.”
Amid initial reports Gawn was devastated and could even seek a trade away from the Demons, the 33-year-old insisted that was never the case and he still holds deep affection for the club.
In fact over the course of a few days, the seven-time All Australian now finds himself excited about what lies ahead.
“I’m excited for what’s next," he said. "It’s funny how quickly you move on in football. ‘Goodwin sacked’... and I’m like ‘geez, my life is over, what’s happened here?’
"I’m down in the dumps on Tuesday morning. We train Tuesday arvo and again Wednesday and today I can’t wait (to play) the Western Bulldogs, can’t wait for what we do in the trade period, and I can’t wait to (see) what coach we get in.
"It’s happened, now let’s move on.”