Round 13 of the 2025 AFL season is in the books. So, it's time to react ... or overreact.
Was Max Gawn's conduct a bad look for a skipper? Should Tom Stewart have been suspended for his hard hit on Noah Anderson?
Let's get to this week's overreactions, where we judge a few major takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
Max Gawn's conduct after the loss was a bad look for a leader
With 30 seconds left in a one-point game, Melbourne skipper Max Gawn took a big contested mark in the back pocket to give his side one last shot at pulling off a miracle. He was called to play on, fluffed a risky, rushed kick out of defence, and turned the ball over. After the incident, defender Steven May came over to Gawn with some feedback, who brushed off May with a disinterested, almost angry demeanour. Of course, it sent the media (and socials) into a tizz.
Verdict: Overreaction
Max Gawn and Steven May had an altercation following the Dees' one-point loss to Collingwood.#AFLDeesPies pic.twitter.com/BEc43uRFbp
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2025
Some important context. Gawn was arguably Melbourne's best player all day, but especially in the last quarter, in which he took a couple of key contested marks. He was also called to play on by the umpire with four Magpies in the vicinity in the back pocket, and was trying to open up the ground to give the Demons a shot at one last attack. Really, he'd done just about everything he could to try and get his team over the line.
For May, he's a renowned 'in your face' type, who (let's face it) has a history of berating teammates. Most games, you can see him and Jake Lever bickering like an old married couple after the opposition team scores a goal. He really does need to get better at controlling his emotions, and in this case picked the wrong target, with the wrong words, at the wrong time.
Gawn said after the match that all players -- including May and himself -- just want to win, a magnanimous statement, but a strong one from a leader, and he should be applauded for how he handled the situation.
At the end of the day, there was a regretful interaction which was caught on camera. Both players would love their time again (just look at how the Pies got around Jack Crisp after he missed his shot after the siren against the Cats), but let's not overreact too much to a couple of players who give a crap about four premiership points.
Tom Stewart should have been suspended for his hit on Noah Anderson
Ouch! You could almost feel Noah Anderson's pain as Tom Stewart laid a brutal bump that sent him crashing head-first to the turf late in Saturday afternoon's game between the Cats and Suns at GMHBA Stadium. The Gold Coast skipper stayed down for a while, dazed, before being taken from the ground for a concussion assessment.
Verdict: Overreaction
Suns players rally around Noah Anderson following this incident with Tom Stewart.#AFLCatsSuns pic.twitter.com/aXArymBvPn
— AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025
As is often the case with these type of incidents, the footy world was divided as to the punishment (if any) fitting the crime (also, if any). Some argued it was a fair bump, let's move on, and others made the case Stewart ran past the ball and had eyes for the player, and should receive several weeks, as he still has a duty of care to look after Anderson's wellbeing.
The MRO released its findings the next day, exonerating Stewart, and releasing this statement:
"The incident involving Geelong's Tom Stewart and Gold Coast's Noah Anderson from the Fourth Quarter of Saturday's match was assessed by the Match Review Officer. It was the view of the MRO that Stewart's actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances and did not constitute a reportable offence."
It's the right decision. Nobody wants to see any player severely injured, but if we're punishing Stewart for this bump, we're pretty much saying you can no longer lay any type of legal hit. That's something that would completely change the sport, and nobody is lobbying for that.