Sacked Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin takes aim at Casey with parting ‘backhander'

7NEWS

2 days ago

Sacked Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is expected to find his feet back in the AFL world in the not too distant future, and could even be at the Sydney Swans next year.
The decision to dismiss the premiership-winning coach on Tuesday sent shockwaves through the AFL industry, with Goodwin himself being 'blindsided' by the decision.
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There were many reasons behind the bombshell call, and the coach is not without blame.
'If you're looking at all the important factors, the way that they play has been the same issue for four years,' expert commentator Kane Cornes said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters.
'They are stuck in 2015 with their game styles, contest and defence, he hasn't been able to evolve that. He hasn't had a game style that stacks up in 2025 ...
'He hasn't been able to solve that. The culture is a mess, like the senior players appear to do whatever they want ...'
But veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson said Goodwin had been let down by the club's list managers and senior leaders.
'(On the weekend) Simon Goodwin was working with his footy boss Alan Richardson fully in the belief he will be coaching out the season and fulfilling his contract next year,' she said on The Agenda Setters.
'He was sitting at home last night watching Netflix and he gets a call from (acting president) Brad Green .... completely blindsided.
'(But) I would say his list management has let him down. I would say Gary Pert (the former) CEO let him down with all those cultural comments and, you know, the failure to deliver on a home (base).
'And (Goodwin) gave them a clip today mentioning Casey. I mean, he didn't exactly paint Melbourne in the rosiest light, did he?'
It is well known the club has been searching for permanent base for years, with the senior team often hiking all the way out to Casey Fields in Cranbourne, more than 50kms away from the city, for training sessions.
Goodwin made mention of Casey when he was asked what he would miss about the Demons in Tuesday's media conference.
'I'm going to miss the players first and foremost,' Goodwin said. 'I have some amazing relationships with some blokes I've coached for an incredibly long time .... probably what I won't miss is driving down to Casey.'
The Agenda Setters believed that parting shot was a decent whack at the club.
'Well that's a problem for them now. Good luck getting getting players from other clubs to want to go and play at Melbourne now,' Cornes said.
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge agreed.
'Especially when former coach gives Casey a bit of a backhander on the way out,' Hodge said.
7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary said Goodwin 'won't be lost to football for long'.
Cleary said the former Adelaide crows star would have a quick break, but would be back in football 'without too long out of the game'.
'And I believe that the Sydney clubs will make a big play for Simon Goodwin,' Cleary said.
'Now his wife is a high-flyer in the Sydney finance world, and has been based in Sydney in recent times. The feeling is that the Swans and Giants will come hard for a person of Simon Goodwin's calibre, and we know that Sydney will have at least one, potentially two, openings under Dean Cox at the end of this year ... and there's potentially one at the Giants as well.
'So keep an eye on the Swans and the Giants for Simon Goodwin for his next move.'