AFL Round Five Insights: Gawn Rallies to Support ‘Embarrassed’ Star Following Difficult Week

The spotlight of Gather Round is firmly on three teams: Carlton, Melbourne, and West Coast, all of whom are yet to register a win this season.

This Saturday, the Blues and Eagles will clash, with the team that loses destined to fall to 0-5. Meanwhile, Melbourne will be taking on Essendon.

The start to the season for the Demons has been rocky, with standout player Christian Petracca showing his emotions quite openly after last weekend’s defeat against Geelong.

Former Melbourne midfielder Jordan Lewis expressed his discontent regarding Petracca’s overt disappointment, suggesting it should have been kept “behind closed doors”.

Conversely, Melbourne captain Max Gawn feels that the focus on Petracca’s emotional display has been exaggerated.

“It’s a strange aspect of our game, to be honest. Some individuals react quite poorly… you’d best stay clear of Steven May after a loss,” Gawn remarked on Triple M.

“Other players handle things differently, and that doesn’t mean it matters any less to them. Some might prefer to crack a smile post-match. While Clayton might seem okay, he’s still processing the loss during the week.

“In Trac’s (Petracca’s) instance, the cameras are on him, which is tough. If the cameras were on fifteen other players, you’d see similar responses.”

“He may feel a bit embarrassed about the attention, but it’s a learning experience for him. It truly reflects how much he cares at this moment.”

Melbourne is set to meet an Essendon side that enters the game refreshed after a bye, buoyed by their victory over Port Adelaide in round three.

This matchup should provide insight into the current standings of both teams this season, with neither being favoured for finals contention at this stage.

Scroll down for the latest leaderboard and Round 4 predictions from all of Nine’s expert tipsters!

Expert predictions for Round 5:

Jimmy Bartel: Adelaide, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Carlton, Brisbane, Essendon, Fremantle, St Kilda, Hawthorn

Tom Morris: Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast, Carlton, Bulldogs, Melbourne, Fremantle, GWS, Hawthorn

Eddie McGuire: Adelaide, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Carlton, Brisbane, Essendon, Fremantle, GWS, Hawthorn

Clint Stanaway: Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast, Carlton, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle, GWS, Hawthorn

Nat Yoannidis: Adelaide, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Carlton, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle, GWS, Hawthorn

Tony Jones: Adelaide, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Carlton, Bulldogs, Melbourne, Fremantle, GWS, Port Adelaide

Rory Sloane: Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast, Carlton, Brisbane, Melbourne, Fremantle, GWS, Hawthorn