Simon Goodwin Herald Sun Interview.

[dazzledavey36 56,290]

Didn't know where to put this but here goes.

 

 

[Rednblueriseing 867]

3 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Didn't know where to put this but here goes.

 

 

Can you post some points for the article for those that choose not to pay these b$#@tards

[adonski 13,252]

6 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Can you post some points for the article for those that choose not to pay these b$#@tards

A genuine nothing article, just says they're all singing kumbaya round the camp fire

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has lauded the inspirational comeback of Christian Petracca, saying the jet midfielder cried tears of joy after completing his first contact training session since his life-threatening injuries.

 

[John Demonic 5,988]

4 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Didn't know where to put this but here goes.

 

 

On an unrelated note, that back sponsor triggers:

 

[dazzledavey36 56,290]

25 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Can you post some points for the article for those that choose not to pay these b$#@tards

Pretty sure the full interview comes out tomorrow. 

[whatwhat say what 23,851]

25 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Pretty sure the full interview comes out tomorrow. 

i guarantee it won't be revelatory

[Rab D Nesbitt 8,952]

I have no idea if it's related to the HS article but there's another one this morning about us in a paper not owned by Murdoch. Spoiler alert, it tells you virtually nothing. 

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-demons-went-on-a-camp-this-is-what-christian-petracca-told-his-teammates-20250208-p5lakc.html

 

Edited February 8 by Rab D Nesbitt

[Queanbeyan Demon 7,022]

I only believe what I read on 'Land.

[Roost it far 10,124]

“Petracca has returned to the fold and Goodwin has assured him he is rekindling his passion for the game and has what it takes to coach”

”Petracca has said he’ll give Goodwin one more year but he’s out if a coaching change doesn’t occur for 2026”

 

[titan_uranus 25,253]

In today’s second part:

“The club has had a heavy cloud over it,” Goodwin said.

“Rightly or wrongly, there has been a real heaviness and it seeps into your footy club.

“As much as you just want to try to showcase the game and get better, the reality is you are distracted.

“That goes for everyone at the footy club. You are distracted by how you are seen externally because of the issues that are going on.

“You feel it, you live it. Your friends talk about it. Your family talks about it. You read it every day. You listen to it. As much as you want to avoid it, it is reality.

You feel heavy. You feel a little bit sad. You feel a little bit embarrassed in terms of how your footy club is spoken about.

“And that is what is great right at this moment, because there is clear air. There is a freshness.

“We get a chance to feel the energy in our football club again.”

As part of the review recommendations, Melbourne players are spending less time at the club, and are given more flexibility to complete their recovery in their own time this year.

There is more trust at Melbourne. More player empowerment. More lightness in the locker room.

It has been the most criticised club culture in the AFL, but Goodwin says a fresh start has helped create “a place of belonging” where everyone at Melbourne “celebrates what each individual brings to the team”.

“We were all feeling heavy and I didn’t like that environment,” he said.

“We needed to make coming to the club more enjoyable and that is why this is a new chapter.”

[Roost it far 10,124]

The Age article is such lazy journalism. It’s simply a rehash. 

Edited February 8 by Roost it far

[titan_uranus 25,253]

On the gameplan:

But it won’t be the same long-down-the-line tactics that drove Melbourne in 2021-23, and returned for the second half of last year.

In the most candid interview of his coaching career, Goodwin said he made an error zigzagging in game style last year, leaving the team “confused”. 

At the start of last season, the Demons changed up their ball movement in a bid to find the forward-half efficiency it needed to be successful in September. 

In the 2023 finals series, the Demons had 32 more inside-50s than Collingwood and eight more scoring shots than Carlton and lost both games in heartbreaking fashion.

“We would have more inside-50s but lose. That was the consistent theme at Melbourne, which is frustrating because we did a lot right,” Goodwin said.

“So you start to scratch for the five per cent extra.”

So the Demons changed the game plan for 2024 and enjoyed a strong start, winning seven of their first nine games. But they were belted by a combined 127 points by West Coast and Fremantle in rounds 11 and 13.

And that is when the Melbourne coaching staff blinked.

To stop the bleeding on the scoreboard, Goodwin brought back key parts of the old 2021 premiership game style after the round 15 mid-season bye. In hindsight, it was a mistake.

“In the middle part of the year we got a little bit wonky,” he said. 

“We lost some personnel and we lost a few games really badly and we were totally uncompetitive and it was un-Melbourne-like.

“Belted by Fremantle by 92 points, lost to West Coast in Perth by 35 points.

“Similar to players, coaches are no different, we get nervous. We lose confidence.

“At that point we asked ourselves, how do we help this team become more competitive?

“So we went back to a little bit of what we knew. And in hindsight that (old method) probably wasn’t the best way to go.

“We were more competitive yes, but we were still losing games. We don’t evolve. We don’t improve and we don’t get better. We don’t grow as a team, as a group, as a club.

“If I had my time again, I would have continued down the path of exploring that different way of playing and that is the learning. And that is really what our summer has been about. Keep exploring, keep looking at different ways, for better ways.”

[titan_uranus 25,253]

On this year:

So, what are the internal expectations in 2025?

“Just to get our days right, get our training right and just continue to be open to exploring new ways of doing things,” he said. 

“We want to build a clear identity in our game style, but we want to be able to win multiple different ways. That is the challenge for every team – to do everything well.

“I want our fans to see changes in the way we move the ball but also in the way we defend because the reality is we weren’t good at any phase of the game last year.”

But before they could whip the Sherrins out to start the pre-season, Melbourne headed to Bright in north-east Victoria for a bonding camp run by mindset master Ben Crowe.

The tumult of the end of last season had to be addressed.

When Petracca and Oliver considered their futures for different reasons at the end of 2024, it was unclear if Melbourne was a fully united football club.

And any remaining cracks are always going to be exposed when the on-field pressure comes in the new season.

Not ducking the question, Goodwin said “there was some healing that needed to be done”.

So in the Bright team meetings, players opened up about not only last year, but the past few years, and emotions came to the fore.

“It took a lot of vulnerability from a lot of players, and a lot of vulnerability from staff, myself included,” he said.

But there is no point in training for football if you can’t start that process of reconnecting and for us, the healing.

“Ben (Crowe) had worked with a lot of teams and some elite athletes around the world and he was unbelievable. He has been a constant in our pre-season.

“We would do some things differently last year and there have been some learnings we would all take a lot from it. So we were able to express all that and move forward.

“There were some conversations that needed to be had, but we can’t live in the past.

“We hold the pen to write the next chapter and we will hold that pen and we will write.

“That will be our theme for the year.”

“But the question is how do we do it? I think we are all excited by that part and the new ideas that we are exploring”.

[titan_uranus 25,253]

On himself:

Goodwin married his partner, Kristine Brooks, who is the Australian boss of investment group Milford, in front of family and friends in Bali over Christmas, and said he has “never been happier”.

“I feel as light as I’ve ever felt. It’s been a tough period,” he said.

“To have the things spoken about me personally has been tough.

“I’m (now) happily married. It was an incredible time with the family. “I put myself out there with my (all-white) outfit, clearly. I walked out there (for the wedding ceremony) and my brother said ‘What number are you batting?’ And then I walked a little bit further down the aisle and Bernie Vince said ‘Are you playing bowls for Stansbury?’ (laughing)

“So I’ve never been happier. I feel fresh and I’m enjoying coaching as much as I ever have and hopefully everything is all behind us.

“Hopefully, in time, people will see the person I am and we can all move forward.”

 

[Roost it far 10,124]

“Are you playing bowls” Gotta love Bernie Vince

[dazzledavey36 56,290]

 

Edited February 8 by dazzledavey36

[Roost it far 10,124]

What the articles do show is that the media are slowly coming around to what’s been happening at the club. A quiet, focussed preseason with few injury concerns and an extra month to hone fitness, skills and game plans. I won’t be surprised if we start being mentioned as finalists for 2025. 

Edited February 8 by Roost it far

[DistrACTION Jackson 10,713]

It was disappointing to hear Goody talk about panicking last year and going away from the new game plan… hopefully he’s learned from that. He said he has, but when push comes to shove will he live by that.

Edited February 8 by DistrACTION Jackson

[DeelightfulPlay 2,722]

4 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

It was disappointing to hear Goody talk about panicking last year and going away from the new game plan… hopefully he’s learned from that. He said he has, but when push comes to shove will he live by that.

Disappointing but it takes guts to admit something like that imo.  Change doesn't happen by pretending the past didn't happen, so hopefully this helps rejuvenate us

[Big Gun 88]

Full credit to Goodwin for being so honest and opening up. Sounds like he is in a good place and reenergised which is what we all want to hear. Must have been so hard the past couple of years to even exist let alone coach at the elite level in front of rabid journalists looking to constantly bring him down. Some great lessons here on resilience and personal reflection. Sounds like we may see the true Simon Goodwin at times this year and maybe he will give a bit more of himself now to the media and supporters rather than rolling out the standard straight bat answers. Go get em Goody!!!!

[binman 44,812]

55 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

On the gameplan:

But it won’t be the same long-down-the-line tactics that drove Melbourne in 2021-23, and returned for the second half of last year.

In the most candid interview of his coaching career, Goodwin said he made an error zigzagging in game style last year, leaving the team “confused”. 

At the start of last season, the Demons changed up their ball movement in a bid to find the forward-half efficiency it needed to be successful in September. 

In the 2023 finals series, the Demons had 32 more inside-50s than Collingwood and eight more scoring shots than Carlton and lost both games in heartbreaking fashion.

“We would have more inside-50s but lose. That was the consistent theme at Melbourne, which is frustrating because we did a lot right,” Goodwin said.

“So you start to scratch for the five per cent extra.”

So the Demons changed the game plan for 2024 and enjoyed a strong start, winning seven of their first nine games. But they were belted by a combined 127 points by West Coast and Fremantle in rounds 11 and 13.

And that is when the Melbourne coaching staff blinked.

To stop the bleeding on the scoreboard, Goodwin brought back key parts of the old 2021 premiership game style after the round 15 mid-season bye. In hindsight, it was a mistake.

“In the middle part of the year we got a little bit wonky,” he said. 

“We lost some personnel and we lost a few games really badly and we were totally uncompetitive and it was un-Melbourne-like.

“Belted by Fremantle by 92 points, lost to West Coast in Perth by 35 points.

“Similar to players, coaches are no different, we get nervous. We lose confidence.

“At that point we asked ourselves, how do we help this team become more competitive?

“So we went back to a little bit of what we knew. And in hindsight that (old method) probably wasn’t the best way to go.

“We were more competitive yes, but we were still losing games. We don’t evolve. We don’t improve and we don’t get better. We don’t grow as a team, as a group, as a club.

“If I had my time again, I would have continued down the path of exploring that different way of playing and that is the learning. And that is really what our summer has been about. Keep exploring, keep looking at different ways, for better ways.”

Thanks TU.

 I hope that puts the whole we are implementing a new game plan this season myth to bed once and for all.

What goody says above is almost the same as what I wrote a few weeks ago - we implemented a transition game lastseason, struggled to get it right - particularly defensively - got opened up several times as a result and went back to our old model to stem the bleeding.

Goody notes our injuries, but not what i think what was our biggest challenge implementing the transition model - our fitness in the second half of the year was miles off. 

That model is incredibly taxing and requires elite all team fitness and running power.

To be fair to goody, we would have been pulverised if we hadn't reverted to our down the line style in the last third of the season. 

And would have copped it big time on here - even more than we did.

2024 was very similar to 2019 in terms of trying to implement a new method- the big difference being we didn't revert in 2019. 

[Deestar9 1,854]

44 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

It was disappointing to hear Goody talk about panicking last year and going away from the new game plan… hopefully he’s learned from that. He said he has, but when push comes to shove will he live by that.

Not sure what Goodwin has to say ..him

admitting that the coaching group also lost confidence as well is admitting that they are human like everyone else and I admire that truth. No one is perfect ..he is learning always as a coach and most importantly not afraid to admit when he doesn’t get it right. Not sure what you mean with your “push comes to shove comment” ? We are trialling a new game plan etc and we will see how it plays out . I believe we have the players to implement that but no one has control over the intangibles that can make or break your season. 

[DistrACTION Jackson 10,713]

20 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

Not sure what Goodwin has to say ..him

admitting that the coaching group also lost confidence as well is admitting that they are human like everyone else and I admire that truth. No one is perfect ..he is learning always as a coach and most importantly not afraid to admit when he doesn’t get it right. Not sure what you mean with your “push comes to shove comment” ? We are trialling a new game plan etc and we will see how it plays out . I believe we have the players to implement that but no one has control over the intangibles that can make or break your season. 

I was disappointed because with anything implementing change you have to go in knowing that there will be challenges and have plans to deal with this. That comment refers to Goody talking about his learnings, but we won’t really know if he has until we get into a period of the season where things aren’t going our way. That will tell us how much conviction he has in the gameplan and ability to see it through.

I like Goody as a coach and have been someone who has backed him when a lot of people have wanted him sacked. Just voicing my opinion on that.

Edited February 8 by DistrACTION Jackson

[DeeZone 10,584]

1 hour ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

Disappointing but it takes guts to admit something like that imo.  Change doesn't happen by pretending the past didn't happen, so hopefully this helps rejuvenate us

Totally agree DeelightfulPlay, sounds like Bright may have been a watershed time where everyone that had a view were encouraged to express it in the rawest of ways. Similar to the end of 2020 and I am so glad that they are continuing on with the game plan that they experimented with last year. Also great to hear the coach open up for us all to hear his inner thoughts and despair last year.💕👍

[GS_1905 339]

2 hours ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

It was disappointing to hear Goody talk about panicking last year and going away from the new game plan… hopefully he’s learned from that. He said he has, but when push comes to shove will he live by that.

I agree with you hundred percent on this. It takes courage to evolve/change and that is perhaps where everyone needed to be on the same page with expectations and likelihood in playing finals, "two steps back for one step forward" type of thing. Lots of clubs in the past have had an off year to modify their method and game plan to bounce back and have a crack. But the pressure on the club with two straight sets, retirement of Gus, expectations re: Dynasty would have been what was behind the decision making to revert back to the old method when the going got tough. Im  not surprised that Goody has taken responsibility for this. I'm still worried that Goody lacks the right experience in coaching personnel around him to really challenge his thinking and the club's direction. Lets hope that Bassett and Radford are able to change this up a little.