Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas apologises after branding Max Gawn a SOOK  

Former St Kilda manager Grant Thomas has apologized for calling Melbourne captain Max Gawn “a sook” after the Demons’ loss to Brisbane on Friday night.

The 31-year-old limped off the field at Gabba just minutes into the first half of Melbourne’s 11-point loss after a seemingly innocuous collision with teammate Jack Viney.

Gawn looked visibly in pain as he limped out of the park to be evaluated in the locker room, where he sat dejectedly on the floor with an ice pack strapped to his knee.

Thomas suggested that the television footage of the Demons captain looking heartbroken sent the wrong message to his teammates.

“Possibly not much would have changed but Gawn coming downstairs instead of sitting on the bench and connecting with the team he captains didn’t help,” he tweeted.

Gawn limped off the field early in the first quarter of Melbourne’s 11-point loss to the Lions at the Gabba on Friday night and looked visibly dejected in the dressing room.

Thomas faced backlash on social media for his comments and has ultimately apologized.

“I understand some take offense to the word ‘sooking’, it was a poor choice of words,” he posted.

‘Looking downtrodden and sad is probably better, but my summary of that is gross, which sounds a bit harsh. Apologies to those few.

With Gawn ruled out and replaced by Jake Melksham, new Melbourne recruit Brodie Grundy had to take on most of the ruck work against Oscar McInerney and Darcy Fort.

The Lions led by 20 points at halftime and pulled away in the third period, leading by 38 in the final interval before the Demons mounted a rally late in the fourth quarter after play was halted when the spotlight failed on the Gabba.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin admitted that Gawn’s injury was a blow to his team, but refused to use it as an excuse for their loss to the Lions.

“Clearly there is an emotional cost to your team when you lose your captain early in the game,” he said in his post-match press conference.

‘You have to give Brisbane some credit.

Thomas claimed that Gawn sent the wrong message by being dejected with an ice pack strapped to his knee while standing in the locker room.

The former Saints boss faced backlash on social media and eventually apologized.

The star ruckman eventually reemerged to sit on the bench alongside his teammates.

‘I thought they were cleaner in and around the tits. I thought his pressure was good on and around punts, and it’s a different kind of ground, especially on the center rebound.

‘They beat us on the middle rebound and that put us under a lot of pressure. They are a good side. […] They have a talented roster, a mature roster that plays a contested type of football.

Meanwhile, Melbourne has revealed that Gawn has avoided a feared ACL tear with scans confirming the ruckman star suffered a medial ligament strain in his left knee.

Gawn missed six weeks of the 2020 season with the same injury and is expected to be out for around two months.