Secret court documents reveal new details on Melbourne’s Goodwin crisis

Secret court documents claim Kate Roffey urged former Demons president Glen Bartlett to “go harder” against coach Simon Goodwin as the club dealt with “behavioural issues”.

Melbourne president Kate Roffey urged her predecessor to “go harder” against Demons coach Simon Goodwin over his alleged “behavioural issues”, secret Supreme Court documents assert.

After the Herald Sun last year revealed how a crisis involving claims of misconduct by Goodwin had engulfed the club on the eve of its 2021 premiership season, Roffey declared her “total support” for the coach.

But documents tendered to the Supreme Court of Western Australia — only released last week after a months-long legal battle — shed new light on the extent of the bitter dispute between Demons chiefs.

A statement of claim filed by lawyers for former Melbourne boss Glen Bartlett claims he was “encouraged” by then Dees director Roffey to pursue “difficult and delicate issues” involving Goodwin.

Bartlett is suing Roffey and three other club board members over a series of public statements made in relation to his sudden removal as president in April 2021.

“The first defendant (Roffey) knew … that the plaintiff (Bartlett) had extensive personal involvement and positive interactive communications with Mr Simon Goodwin, and had supported him as senior coach,” the statement of claim asserts.

“(Bartlett) was attempting to deal with some very difficult welfare and behavioural issues relating to the senior coach and the CEO (Gary Pert), between November 2020 and April 2021.

“The first defendant (Roffey) at the time had been supportive of the plaintiff’s management of those difficult and delicate issues with the senior coach and the CEO, and at times encouraged the plaintiff to, in effect, go harder against the senior coach in terms of dealing with the behavioural issues”.

An emotional Simon Goodwin, senior coach of the Demons hugs president Kate Roffey after the 2021 premiership win in Perth. Picture: Michael Klein.

The statement of claim reveals “it was only during a telephone call between” Bartlett and club directors Steve Morris and David Rennick on April 6, 2021 that the president was made aware of a move for Roffey to replace him.

“The second defendant (Rennick) — unexpectedly and without forewarning — demanded the plaintiff to resign ‘with immediate effect to preserve his legacy’ because … an unnamed group were going to challenge the entire MFC board,” it says.

“The plaintiff responded – after initially asking whether this was a joke – that this would be a matter for the MFC board and the MFC’s nominations and remuneration committee”.

Bartlett’s lawyers allege his decision to vacate the presidency was then “leaked to the media” on 10 April, 2021.

“In the first defendant’s (Roffey’s) maiden speech as president, she referred to the plaintiff as being ‘cooked’ and gave a derogatory rationale for the plaintiff’s decision for stepping down as president, being that ‘he had bills to pay and that he had a mortgage’ – or words to that effect,” the court document says.

Bartlett also claims he “was excluded from all premiership celebrations in Perth following the Grand Final in 2021 and from internal celebrations later in the year”.

Gary Pert. Picture: Michael Klein.

Kate Roffey hugs Daisy Pearce after a Demons’ AFLW win. Picture: Michael Klein.

“The plaintiff was not invited to the unfurling of the premiership flag or any other associated club functions arising from the successful Grand Final win by the MFC,” it says.

“The plaintiff was not invited to any MFC events – including the president’s functions – or games – including MFC games held in Perth – during the 2022 AFL season”.

Bartlett broke his silence on his murky departure as club president last year, claiming he had been thwarted in his fight to keep Melbourne free of “workplace bullying, gambling, harassment and illegal drugs”.

The ex-Demons boss alleged that he and his partner had since been subjected to “threats, deceitful conduct and a public campaign to discredit us”.

Bartlett had been re-elected unopposed for another 12-month term just weeks before his exit.

Goodwin has repeatedly denied having any behavioural issues.

The statement of claim was filed in the Supreme Court of Western Australia last September, but was kept secret until last week.

In a further development in the dispute, lawyers for Melbourne last week won an application to move the case to the Supreme Court of Victoria.

But lawyers for Bartlett have discontinued the Supreme Court action and are expected to seek to shift the fight to the Federal Court.

Roffey and the other Melbourne directors are also expected to pursue costs against Bartlett regarding the WA Supreme Court action.