Jon Ralph: With the distractions gone, can Simon Goodwin get Demons back in premiership mix?

Melbourne’s public review said it was capable of playing finals, but their game plan had to be refined, now the work begins for Simon Goodwin after a tumultuous 31 months, writes Jon Ralph.

Simon Goodwin will on Monday start building a game plan that can withstand the “pressures of finals football” as he begins his ninth Demons pre-season with the club’s 31-month board room skirmish finally resolved.

Melbourne’s first to fourth year players will return on Monday, with stars including Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Max Gawn officially due back in a fortnight.

Goodwin will hope that one of the most damaging periods in the club’s recent history is finally over in time for him to save his job by measuring up to the terms of the club’s recent football review.

In recent weeks Goodwin would have witnessed a series of developments that give him the chance to put the club back on an equal footing with its premiership rivals.

A huge 2025 awaits Simon Goodwin and the Dees. Picture: Mark Stewart

Those four developments saw;

• The club resolving its legal battle with former president Glen Bartlett, after a series of allegations over Goodwin’s own behaviour that landed in February 2022 and saw him continually defending his personal conduct.

Melbourne board member Geoff Porz did much of the legal work to make the deal possible along with Melbourne legal identity Leon Zwier.

• Former forward Joel Smith accepting a ban until 2028 for a match-day cocaine positive and trafficking or attempting to traffic cocaine, but no other Demons players will face sanction.

• Chief executive Gary Pert announcing his decision to move on, which will give the club a chance to turn a fresh page at an administrative level.

• A succession plan is in place to see the respected Steven Smith take over from Brad Green within 12 months given he will soon be elevated to the club’s board.

The club’s board has four positions up for grabs ahead of an annual general meeting set to take place on December 17.

Those four decisions will mean that Goodwin, contracted to be 2026, can finally be allowed to coach without distractions that mean it was impossible to judge his recent progress.

Melbourne crashed out in straight sets twice then missed finals last year, but also have two top-ten picks after securing Essendon’s No. 9 selection to go with their own pick five.

Nathan Jones has returned to coach the midfield, with ex-Port Adelaide and Norwood premiership coach Nathan Bassett to coach the defence and Troy Chaplin coaching the forward line and offensive ball movement.

Christian Petracca will return after his disgruntlement with the club surfaced. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

As part of the club’s football department review it was decided the toll of that spat with Bartlett had impacted Goodwin, but the premiership coach has also been told to “lighten up” in his dealings with players.

Melbourne will hold a camp in regional Victoria early in the pre-season where the club will again drill the game plan and consider its cultural foundations.

Stars Petracca and Oliver have both considered their futures in recent months, so their buy-in to Goodwin’s direction will be critical over summer.

The review stated that the Demons were capable of playing finals against but “emphasised the need to refine our method of play, focusing on all facets of the game — with the ball, without the ball and in the contest.

“During the pre-season, our coaches will work on evolving our game style to maximise the strengths of our playing group, aiming for a style that not only propels us back into the finals but withstands the pressures of finals football. As a competitive measure, specific details of our game style remain confidential.”

Originally published as Jon Ralph: With the distractions gone, can Simon Goodwin get Demons back in premiership mix?