Latest news with #PaulGuerra
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Sacked after winning by 83 points. So much about this decision is confusing for all
"Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem" has become a bit of a go-to piece of homespun philosophy in the world of AFL football over recent years. Increasingly, you can understand why. Take Melbourne, for example, which on Tuesday chose to end the tenure of its premiership coach Simon Goodwin with just three games remaining for the season. So last weekend must have been a shocker, right? Well, no, actually, the Demons had just thumped West Coast by a whopping 83 points. Umm ... OK. So it's about strong, decisive leadership from Melbourne's leaders, yes? Umm ... well, to be frank, what leaders? Fact is, incoming Melbourne chief executive Paul Guerra is still to actually sit in the chair, and chairman-in-waiting Stephen Smith has been on a European sojourn. Indeed, I suspect Tuesday's decision (at least its timing) may have had a bit to do with wanting to be seen to be exercising some control just as Melbourne is beginning to finally cop some public heat for the way even off the field it appears to have coasted through this season. Sure, the optics haven't been great given a still-talented list is about to miss out on finals for a second year in a row. But nor is Melbourne falling apart at the seams. Indeed, ironically, there was much more disquiet going on at board level in 2021 just as the club was winning its first premiership for 57 years than there is now. Football doesn't do nuance particularly well. Which will be a challenge for Melbourne now, also. Because there are alternate ways of looking at just where the Demons are placed in terms of their on-field future. And how Melbourne does peer through the looking glass will have a big say in who ends up being Goodwin's coaching replacement, whether it's an established premiership/grand final coach like any of John Longmire, Adam Simpson or Nathan Buckley, or one of the long catalogue of experienced and well-qualified assistant coaches who'd no doubt love a call-up. The "things are OK" argument is that the Demons still have plenty of star quality via the likes of Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, Steven May and Clayton Oliver, some promising younger types with heaps of room for improvement coming through. Their best can still stack up, too, the Dees this season having beaten reigning premier Brisbane on the Gabba no less, likely finalist Fremantle in Perth, and almost upsetting Collingwood in the King's Birthday clash. And the "things are crook" theory? Well, the performance graph has been fairly consistently downward for a while since that famous 2021 flag. There were two subsequent top four finishes which both ended with Melbourne going out in straight sets both times, albeit extremely narrowly in 2023, after having lost to Collingwood by just seven points despite having 32 more inside 50 entries. They'd then lost to Carlton the following week by just two points after kicking 9.17. And the past two seasons have been a lot more dire, just 11 wins last year and a finish of 14th, then this season only seven wins, and the defeats including beltings at the hands of lowly North Melbourne (by 59 points) and Essendon (by 39 points). The demographics on the Melbourne list might be a little askew, also. The Dees have the fourth-oldest playing group in the AFL, with nine players on the cusp of 30 or older, a mid-tier group of which several have stagnated, and some promising but still largely unproven younger hands. There's still clear uncertainty, also, about the futures of the likes of Petracca and Oliver (both of whom we're continually being told aren't averse to heading elsewhere), along with May and Gawn, both of whom will be 34 when next season begins. MORE AFL NEWS Does that mean Melbourne should embrace a complete rebuild, though? Not necessarily. Is the age thing as relevant these days as it used to be? More broadly speaking when it comes to lists, do deficiencies in key areas mean the whole thing needs to be thrown away? Adelaide this year would seem to be a good example of why not. The Crows have added a handful of experienced midfielders to the mix and suddenly seem to have more options, flexibility and consistent performance right across the ground. So can Goodwin's nine-year coaching tenure with the Demons also be assessed as not as good or bad as it seemed? Absolutely. His coaching record of 203 games at a winning percentage of nearly 55 stacks up pretty well with most of his competitors. He is (for now at least) one of just four Melbourne premiership coaches in history. Then again, was Melbourne's incredibly dominant finals series of 2021 one of the greatest premiership wins ever? Not necessarily. It certainly was a great example of hitting a sweet spot at the perfect time, however. Goodwin should be rightly proud of his heightened status in the coaching pantheon. And you can bet he'll get another chance because of it. Yes, even when you've just been sacked, things actually mightn't be as bad as they seem.
The Australian
7 days ago
- Business
- The Australian
Simon Goodwin sacked as coach of Melbourne
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has been sacked. The premiership-winning coach was told of the decision by the club's board on Monday night. Goodwin will receive a near one million dollar payout for next season. The board had lost faith in the team's direction under Goodwin. Since a historic 2021 premiership, the Demons have missed finals in 2024 and 2025 after two failed September campaigns in 2022 and 2023. While he was contracted for next season, senior Melbourne officials told Goodwin on Monday night that they wanted a change for 2026. The club is expected to hold a press conference at midday Tuesday. It is a bold call from the club, which is undergoing considerable change in its off-field leadership ranks, which has contributed to instability at the Dees this year. New CEO Paul Guerra will take over on September 8 with interim CEO David Chippindall leading Melbourne in his absence this season. Demons champion Brad Green has been a caretaker president, with respected former MCC boss Steven Smith set to take over as club president at the end of the year. The board had empowered Goodwin to make considerable change to the game style and team this season after conceding both its method and personnel which took it to the 2021 flag needed an overhaul. Despite a poor start to season, Goodwin was confident the Demons were on track to rise up the ladder next season with its ball movement changes and new midfield mix, however Melbourne had doubts after the loss to Carlton in round 19 and the final-term capitulation against St Kilda the week after. It leaves a cloud over the futures of some of Melbourne's biggest stars, including 2021 Norm Smith Medallist Christian Petracca who has received interest from Hawthorn. Petracca has kept silent on his future and will now likely hold off on a call until season's end. Goodwin will likely embark on a holiday and will be courted by media organisations to play a broadcast role in finals. The Herald Sun understands Goodwin wants to continue coaching after an initial break. Melbourne's board will now have to decide what it wants to do with its coach ahead of the 2026 season. Premiership coaches Adam Simpson and John Longmire, Pies assistant Hayden Skipworth and Bulldogs assistant Brendon Lade would be the early leading candidates. Goodwin opens up: Healing, hope and lifting Dees' heavy cloud Jay Clark is a leading AFL reporter for News Corp and CODE Sports, based in Melbourne. For almost 20 years, he has helped set the football agenda with his breaking news, deep-dive feature writing and issues-based reporting. He is a trusted voice on the biggest stories in the AFL. AFL Sam Draper has a mysterious phone call, Lethal made some big calls and Nick Riewoldt hosted the footy Logies. Josh Barnes has the good word what you missed on TV. AFL The cracks are starting to appear at the Pies, and their marquee recruits are right at the centre of Craig McRae's concerns, which couldn't have come at a worse time as we near September.
7NEWS
28-04-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Melbourne set to hire Victorian business chief Paul Guerra as new CEO to replace Gary Pert
Melbourne are set to hire Victorian business chief Paul Guerra as their new CEO, six months Gary Pert announced his resignation. According to The Agenda Setters' Caroline Wilson, Guerra will cross to the Demons from the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a major Victorian business advocacy organisation, where he is its current chief executive. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Caroline Wilson reveals Melbourne's new CEO. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today His impressive portfolio of experience also includes a stint as CEO of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, as well as managing director and chairman-level roles across Asia Pacific in several different industries. Breaking the story on 7NEWS, Wilson said the Melbourne board was still meeting to make the final call. 'The Melbourne board is still meeting as we speak, but my prediction is that an outsider in the role, Paul Guerra, the CEO of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, is the frontrunner in the board meeting,' she said. 'Alistair Nicholson presented very well, the former Melbourne player who now runs the Coaches' Association, but my tip is that Paul Guerra will win the role, an Essendon man who will change his colours.' Guerra is set to win the role ahead of a pair of names more well-known to footy circles. 'The AFL and other people in the footy industry were quite keen on Keith Thomas, the former Port Adelaide CEO and Norwood player, who did a great job at the Port Adelaide Football Club — he stepped down from that role in 2020,' Wilson added. 'My understand is that, controversially, some positions, political positions, involving war in the middle-east that appeared on Keith Thomas's social media meant that he had to withdraw from the candidacy. 'I think it's a great pity because many people thought he would be a great candidate, but Melbourne were spooked, and so he's no longer in the running.' Stream full episodes of The Agenda setters live, free and on-demand at 7plus It's been a long time coming for the Demons, who have been led by interim CEO David Chippindall since Pert's departure in January. Pert's decision, which was made in October, also came less than two months after Kate Roffey stood down as president, the pair departing just three years after leading the club to the 2021 premiership. Speaking at the time, interim president Brad Green — who remains in the temporary seat now — said it he felt 'mixed emotions' that Pert would retire. 'After careful consideration of what is best for the club, his family, and his own future, Gary concluded that now is the right time to initiate the search for his successor,' Green said in a club statement last October. 'I want to make it absolutely clear that this decision, including its timing, is Gary's own.' Pert, an ex-Collingwood CEO, had positioned himself as the only man to deliver Melbourne's Caulfield development and has accepted a consulting role for the remainder of the project. His resignation as chief executive came after a review into the club's operations was handed to the board. Pert was also involved in trade negotiations at the end of last season, reportedly contacting other clubs to gauge their interest in Clayton Oliver before the star midfielder ultimately stayed.
