AFL Grand Final 2021: Simon Goodwin’s pre-game video, Garry Lyon, Max Gawn give emotional tributes after Demons premiership
Simon Goodwin knew his players were nervous. It’s why he had Demons staff create a hilarious video to show pre-game. Harry Petty reveals its effect, plus his own emotions.
Melbourne
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Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin showed a video poking fun at his food poisoning to relax his edgy team before Saturday’s grand final.
Demons IT staff created the clip, which featured the heads of Goodwin and assistant Adem Yze, who also fell sick for four or five days last week from eating dodgy linguine, superimposed onto movie scenes.
Goodwin played it to his team after sensing it was nervous leading up to the clash with the Western Bulldogs.
Melbourne defender and fellow South Australian Harry Petty told News Corp about the video then Yze confirmed its content.
Yze said Goodwin understood that players could be overwhelmed by anxiety and stress before big games, so used lighter moments really well.
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“They took the piss out of himself and I just for being crook all week from food poisoning,” Yze said after the 74-point win.
“It just breaks the ice a little bit ... then we get into the final details of the game.
“He did that, like he would in Round 2.”
Petty said the video calmed everyone down.
“In the pre-game meeting we were all pretty edgy, you could tell, and he’s shown a funny video just to relax,” the 30-gamer said.
Petty had a restless sleep on Friday night and was pinching himself in Perth Stadium’s change rooms post-game.
“I still can’t really believe it,” said Petty, who was raised in the outback town of Wudinna and joined the Demons from Norwood via pick 37 in the 2017 national draft.
“It was a childhood dream to win a flag and we’ve done it.”
Petty was intent on taking his opportunity this year if one emerged.
He came into the side after Adam Tomlinson sustained a season-ending knee injury.
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“I’m just trying to play my role for the team,” he said.
“Obviously I’m not going to get the attention as much as Jake (Lever) or Steven (May) do, but they wouldn’t be them without me.
“That’s all I’ve been getting told by backline coach Troy Chaplin, Goody (coach Simon Goodwin) always says it.”
Petty allowed himself to relax with about six minutes remaining in the last quarter.
“Me, Maysy, Jake Lever, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey were all getting around each other,” he says.
“It was unbelievable.”
Petty celebrated the success in Perth with family, including sister, Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty.
Lyon: This is for Jimmy and Robbie
As Melbourne great Garry Lyon soaked up the club’s first premiership in 57 years in the Perth Stadium change rooms on Saturday night, he could not help but think about two Demons legends who were not in there.
“The biggest names in this footy club should be here, leading the charge, in Jimmy Stynes and Robbie Flower,” Lyon told News Corp after Melbourne’s 74-point grand final triumph.
“Robbie carried the club on his back through the tough times and Jimmy kept it going.
“You do think about it before the game.
“And when you’re out on the ground, you know they’re watching.
“It’s bloody great because you know how much it means to them.”
Irish ruckman Stynes, who played 264 matches for the Demons and won the 1991 Brownlow Medal, died from cancer in 2012, aged 45.
Former Melbourne captain and 272-gamer Flower passed away from a brief, unexpected illness at the age of 59 in 2014.
In the same year the club lost Flower, former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey died from lung cancer, aged 47.
Colin Sylvia (car crash in 2018), Troy Broadbridge (tsunami, 2004) and Steven Clark (illness, 2005) are other Demons who have gone too young.
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Since 2006, Melbourne had also been a battling football team, making the finals just once before this season and collecting two wooden spoons.
“I put it down as heartache and tragedy,” Lyon said.
“It’s heartache from an on-field point of view … and the tragedy comes in life and death – it’s very real.”
Like those others, Lyon never played in a Melbourne flag.
But the former Demons skipper, who was a three-time All-Australian across 226 games, had the chance to present the premiership cup to coach Simon Goodwin and captain Max Gawn on Saturday night, then enjoy the celebrations.
“I’m floating, it’s unbelievable,” Lyon said.
“This is what you always imagined it would be.
“No one wants to leave because it’s just too good.”
Lyon, who played in the club’s 1988 grand final loss to Hawthorn, said he did not have one ounce of jealousy.
“If you can’t win one, you just wonder whether you’ll ever get to experience the sensation and this is as close as it gets, so this’ll do me,” he said.
Lyon described Saturday’s game, which the Western Bulldogs led by 19 points during the third quarter, as a “bloody rollercoaster”.
“Typically, they wouldn’t do it easy,” he said.
“I thought at quarter-time we should’ve been six goals up, that’s how well they played.
“It got out to 19 points in the third quarter and you thought, ‘Gee, if they get another one we’re going to be in trouble’.
“But in the blink of an eye it was gone.
“It’s as stunning a turnaround in a big game as I’ve seen.
“At one stage I said ‘it’s 40 points’ and I don’t know where that (lead) came from.
“It probably speaks to how great a side they are and it’s one of the great years, really.
“Most of the challenges they got put in front of them, they just whacked them away.”
The club’s turnaround added to Lyon’s excitement.
Two years ago, the Demons finished second-bottom, having slumped from making a preliminary final the season prior.
“I didn’t see this coming,” Lyon said.
“If anyone did, good on them.
“They bat deep, they’re young and they’ve got good players in the right spots so they should hang around (at the top) for a while.”
Plenty of Demons people could not make the game in Perth due to Victoria’s lockdown and Western Australia’s border restrictions.
Instead, they wrapped their proverbial arms around each other from across the country.
Lyon is part of a WhatsApp group featuring more than 130 ex-Melbourne players and his phone is filled with joyous messages.
“I’ve got it in my pocket at the moment and it’s just buzzing the whole time,” he said.
“Those boys have been awesome.
“I loved all my teammates but you’ve got to work to stay connected.
“That’s what this thing did, it (the grand final run) has reconnected generations.
“This gives the club legitimacy again.”
Gawn’s stunning tribute to Daniher
Amid the jubilance and chaos of winning the Grand Final and ending a 57-year title drought, Melbourne captain Max Gawn took time to pay a special tribute to Neale Daniher.
Unable to be with the team in Perth because of the strict quarantine rules, Daniher has always been the heart and soul of the Demons.
The man who coached the Dees for 223 games from 1998-2007 and who has become a favourite among all Australians because of the work he has done in raising funds and awareness around MND, was also the inspiration for Gawn’s pre-match rev-up.
“We’ve had a lot of tragedy that’s followed the club. Especially since I’ve been there,” Gawn said.
“Troy Broadbridge, Dean Bailey, who drafted me, Colin Sylvia — his parents reached out to me — and Neale Daniher, who is going through one almighty fight with MND.
“His (Daniher) poster was up on the wall before the game. He’s got a big quote — ‘You can talk as much as you want, it’s about doing’.
“That was my speech before the game, quoted his famous comment.
“He lives with us. He is still going strong. It is a shame he wasn’t here tonight.
“The Daniher family, Stynes family, it is very well documented my connection with the Stynes family.
“They’re special people that make this club special.”
Gawn was all class in his speech on the podium, paying tribute to friends, family and fans locked down in eastern states.
He also noted the hardluck stories.
“Everyone we left back home, families, friends. Everyone in the eastern states who supports the Melbourne Football Club, this is for you,” he said.
“After 57 years of pain, it’s coming home.
“It is a long time coming.
“I got another special moment, I saw Jake Melksham and Jayden Hunt, some of the hard-luck stories, Majak Daw, pretty special.”
DANIHER PRAISES THE TEAM
After the siren, Daniher praised Melbourne’s historical win as a victory for the true believers.
“I’m obviously so happy for everyone inside the club but I’m so excited for all the supporters especially those that have been there for the long haul, how good was that!,” the former club great told the Herald Sun.
Daughter Bec said the Dee’s win has given her father – who coached the club for 10 seasons between 1998 and 2007 — the inspiration he needs to continue his battle against Motor Neurone Disease.
“He is just so happy, it has been a tough couple of years, we have had these moments I just didn’t think we would have …. now we are going to be smiling for a very long time,” she said.
“It is such a special moment for us to celebrate together, and see the boys play so well and succeed … it is such a fairytale.”
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