‘FRUSTRATED’ seems to be an appropriate word to describe the feeling among the Melbourne players, coaches and supporters.

There’s no doubt the Demons were itching to get out on the MCG in Round 3 and face Essendon, but with COVID-19 striking again, that wasn’t to be.

“We all knew when this AFL season was getting up and going that this was probably going to come at some point,” Gawn told Melbourne Media.

“I’m someone who [would] rather play than train, so I’m looking forward to potentially a mid-week fixture.

“I was very, very frustrated at about 4pm [on Saturday], as was probably 50,000 Melbourne fans and the rest of the players.

“We get a little break, and I mean, there is another time during the year where you get a little break and it is if you win and go straight into a prelim, so potentially this is a good little warm up for that.”

Playing multiple games within a week is a scenario the Dees will have to face in the near future, needing to squeeze in a replacement clash with the Dons.

And despite the physical challenges that may present, Gawn is ready to embrace it.

“It comes with it, and to be fair, AFL has been extremely lucky over the years that we purely only have to play Saturday to Saturday,” he said.

“A lot of competitions around the world play mid-week and it’s probably something the AFL can look into and will have to look into at some point for us to play the Bombers now.

“Darren Burgess is our fitness guru and he’s been with pretty much every soccer team … in Europe, and he says these guys play Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday for two-three weeks straight.

“Yeah, it’s a little more physical our game, but I’m looking forward to potentially testing out some mid-week fixtures.”

Watch below as Gawn spoke to the media following Sunday’s intra-club match at the MCG.