AFL Brisbane v Melbourne Gabba Blackout; Max Gawn knee injury, Steven may be late for Demons

Play resumed with a ball-up 38 minutes after the blackout.

Both teams had a chance to warm up before the AFL ticked off the restart of play with 12 minutes left on the clock last season.

Brisbane were leading by 40 points when suddenly all the light towers on the ground went out.

Most viewers stayed to witness the end of the game.

Fox Footy border driver Alastair Lynch had previously said the situation was one of chaos after all the light towers on the ground went out.

“She went all out to smoke,” Lynch said.

“One of the bulbs exploded. Behind the stands at the member’s side the transformer could be heard blowing. Everyone hangs around, or most people hang around.”

The situation brought flashbacks to a similar situation when Waverley Park lost power during St Kilda’s 10th lap clash with Essendon in 1996.

One of the spheres in one of the light towers on the ground caught fire during the saga.

At that time, the lions led by 40 points.

After nine minutes of darkness, players and officials left the field.

Under AFL rules, if a game cannot be restarted within 60 minutes, the team with the highest score when the game is stopped is deemed the winner.

Melbourne were embroiled in another match delay in 2021, with play being suspended for 25 minutes due to nearby lightning in the club’s Round 21 clash against West Coast at Perth Stadium.

THERE’S MORE

Gawn suffers a serious knee injury

Melbourne boss of football Alan Richardson said the club would await scans on Gawn’s knee before determining the extent of the injury. The Demons are crossing their fingers that Gawn did not suffer an ACL injury at the end of the season.

“Clearly (he has) a sore knee. We really don’t know much more,” Richardson said.

“I know there’s an image out there, there’s an image out there that suggests he’s feeling really down and that leads to potential ACL stuff. That’s not the case. We’ll have to scan it. Our doctors say he’s feeling sane. We have to wait to get scans.”

Gawn missed the entire 2012 season after tearing both the meniscus and cruciate ligament in his right knee in the preseason.

Gawn also suffered an ACL injury to his right knee during his 2009 draft year with TAC Cup team Sandringham Dragons.

GAWN SUBBED OUT

Melbourne captain Max Gawn has been substituted from the Dems’ clash with Brisbane with a left knee injury.

Gawn came off the field with his hands on his head when he was brought into the rooms for a check-up by medical staff in the first five minutes of the first quarter.

Substitute Jake Melksham was brought into the game to replace Gawn, who will no longer participate.

After a ruck contest on center bounce, Gawn injured his knee after teammate Jack Viney went down and picked up his leg.

Gawn was pictured alone, looking frustrated in the rooms after being substituted, with ice around his left knee.

Brodie Grundy was promptly tapped into the primary jerk role for the Demons.

Gawn had only accumulated 7 KFC SuperCoach points before being substituted from the game.

Earlier, Melbourne was dealt another heavy blow when key defender Steven May was eliminated from their second leg.

MAY OUT OF LIONS Clash

Melbourne were dealt a serious blow ahead of tonight’s clash with Brisbane when key defender Steven May was eliminated from their second leg.

The Demons made a late switch an hour before kickoff, with May being replaced on the team by fellow backman Adam Tomlinson.

May had been ready to return for the game at the Gabba after suffering a calf injury after missing out on the club’s Round 1 win over the Western Bulldogs.

Melbourne manager Simon Goodwin said he expects May to be ready to face Sydney next Sunday instead.

“He didn’t quite hit some of the speed marks that we would have liked to see during the week,” Goodwin said on Fox Footy.

“With his history of soft tissue injuries, he’s just such an important player for us. He trained fully today but we just didn’t want to take any chances and give him another full week of training to make sure he can really hit the ground running.”

Melbourne are aiming for a 2-0 start to the season but face a Brisbane side determined to respond after a dismal second half resulted in a 54-point loss to Port Adelaide last week.

The Lions didn’t lose two games in a row last season, taking a 10-2 lead at the Gabba.

Jake Melksham was again chosen as a replacement for Melbourne, while Devon Robertson was chosen as a replacement for the Lions.

Originally published as AFL Brisbane v Melbourne: All the Breaking News & Analysis; Loss of light brings game to a standstill