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Demons star Gawn upbeat about ankle injury

Star Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn is confident a badly rolled ankle won't keep him from the Demons' AFL round 16 clash with Carlton at the MCG.

Gawn landed awkwardly during the second quarter of Sunday's loss to Brisbane at the Gabba, with his left ankle twisting as it copped the brunt of the impact.

He admitted the situation looked grim when the injury was assessed in the change rooms after the ankle had "blown up like elephant man".

But fears the two-time All Australian had suffered serious damage were soon allayed when he returned to the game, albeit in a limited capacity, with scans also proving positive.

"The doc reckons that it's nothing unbelievably serious," Gawn told RSN927 on Tuesday.

"Obviously for it to (blow up) that big, it has to be something. I've watched the video of it and it did look pretty grim.

"Everyone around the club is saying it should be something that, if I can get the swelling down, back end the week of training and then hopefully play Sunday.

"... Every time I've sprained my ankle I've gotten away with noting much wrong with it.

"The mindset is that it's going to be a long week icing, watching Wimbledon and the Tour de France and then I'll get up and play."

The 27-year-old was on crutches after the game and endured a painful plane ride to Melbourne.

The Demons can ill afford to lose their star big man for Sunday's game, having lost five of their past six matches to sit 16th on the ladder and just one win ahead of the second-last Blues.