Max Rooke Biography

Melbourne fitness coach Daniel Cross and development assistant Max Rooke will remain stood down from their duties as the football department squeeze hits the Demons following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Underperforming Melbourne has taken the drastic step of restructuring its coaching panel mid-season.

Among a raft of changes announced after the 3-9 Demons' mid-season break, Jade Rawlings has relinquished the role of coaching the club's VFL affiliate Casey Demons and will step up to become Melbourne's forward coach.

Rawlings replaces Max Rooke, who will become a development coach.

The experienced Brendan McCartney, previously the defensive coach, will now mentor the club's AFL and VFL assistant coaches, while Troy Chaplin will become the standalone backline coach.

Brad Ottens and Max Rooke will be inducted into the Geelong's Hall of Fame.

Ottens and Rooke will become the 14th and 15th members of their 2007 and 2009 premiership teams honoured in the event at GMBHA Stadium's President's Room.

Max Rooke joins Melbourne as a development coach.

Rooke will reunite with former teammates Matthew Egan and Shannon Byrnes at the Demons, as well as Brendan McCartney, who was an assistant coach at Geelong.

"Since retiring from the AFL, Max has been working as a development coach, firstly for Geelong for a few years and then Gold Coast last year," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"Through family reasons, Max became available and we're delighted that he's decided to join Melbourne.

"Max is passionate about developing young players and driving standards on and off the field, which aligns very well with our overall philosophy on players.

Max Rooke has joined Gold Coast as a development coach.

"Max is a quality person and we believe our younger players will learn an enormous amount from him as development coach," Gold Coast general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

Dual premiership defender and fan favourite Max Rooke is departing Geelong after four years as a development coach.

"Max has been a great servant of the club, both as a player and in his role as a development coach. He has made an indelible contribution and we wish Max nothing but every success in his future," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking said.

Max Rooke will rejoin the Cats in 2012 as a development coach.

"Max is an outstanding person, has seen all sides of football and is incredibly highly respected by everyone associated with our club," Geelong's general manager of football Neil Balme said.

"He always showed a care and ability to relate with the young players when he was with us as a player, and he will carry this on in this role. We think that our young players will benefit from working with Max on a day to day basis."

Geelong's dual premiership forward Max Rooke has succumbed to a serious knee injury and announced his retirement.

"I'm shattered that I've been forced into retirement due to this knee injury but I have to think of my long-term well-being," Rooke said.

Geelong has acknowledged it is extremely unlikely that Max Rooke will play again this season as he continues to battle with a chronic knee complaint.

"We're still working on the short-term, which is to try to at least get him to be able to train enough to at least be considered for playing," Cats' football manager Neil Balme said.

"But it's looking less likely as time goes on."

Max Rooke is set for a surprise return to the AFL only weeks after visiting a knee specialist in the US.

"He's our spiritual leader in so many ways," Geelong coach Mark Thompson said.

"Max has never, ever shirked a contest and he probably goes harder than anyone else. In many ways it's why Bartel, Selwood, Kelly and Joel Corey, Chapman, go as hard as they do because Max sets the bar so high in that regard.

"He deserves us to give him every possible chance after what he's done for the club."

Max Rooke and Henry Slattery have been cleared of any wrongdoing for making contact with umpires.

Rooke tugged the shirt of the umpire while Slattery made only slight contact with umpire Matt Stevic.