In episode eighteen of Inside Melbourne, Caty Price and Clint Stanaway are joined by a legend of the industry in Mike Sheahan to discuss all things Melbourne. We ask where Max Gawn would sit in his top 50 (6:00), discover Mike’s favourite Melbourne player (8:00) and take all your questions from the outer (10:00). Special guest Charlie Spargo joins the team and discovers an interesting connection between his family and Mike (22:00) and we get Charlie’s thoughts on the weight of wearing the number nine (26:00).

MIKE Sheahan regards Max Gawn as one of the league’s best, saying the ruckman would be within the leading five of his Top 50 Players list.

Speaking on Inside Melbourne, Sheahan said if he was to finalise his must-read list for supporters now, Gawn would be pushing his way up.

“He would definitely be my first-choice ruckman,” Sheahan said,

“He would certainly be in my top five, maybe [top] three.”

Gawn has dominated the competition in the ruck, sitting at an average of 46.4 hit-outs and 17 disposals for the season to date.

The 26-year-old has also collected nine goals, while his behind count stands at 11 after struggling with his accuracy.

In looking at fellow players who could also make the list, Sheahan said several had caught his eye.

“We all have preferences on who we like – I mean, I love Christian Petracca, but he’s not going to be in that context at the moment because he hasn’t been consistent enough,” he said.

“Another player I like is Dayne Beams. His last six or seven weeks have been very good.

“Dusty Martin hasn’t been as good as last year, but then as someone made the point the other day – how can you be as good as you were last year?

“You can’t do that every year because it’s just impossible.”

While Gawn has become a powerhouse among his competitors, wearing the No.11 guernsey evokes immediate comparison to a former inheritor in the late Jim Stynes.

“Max’s stamina is really impressive for a big guy,” Sheahan said.

“He can get around the ground and continue to do that, and he’s a great mark.

“Jimmy was a more reliable kick than Max, even though Jimmy’s was a manufactured style.

“His level of efficiency with the ball in his hand, particularly closer to those sticks, is probably better than what Max has done.”

But while it’s easy enough to look at their individual impact, Sheahan said comparing the two is almost unfair.

“I think Max is a better technician in the ruck work than Jimmy was, but that’s the difficultly in comparing great players.”

“It’s almost denigrating one to say that the other is better.”