Simon Goodwin and Gary Pert address culture concerns at Melbourne

Simon Goodwin has revealed he hasn’t spoken with Joel Smith while refuting claims he uses illicit drugs in a prerecorded interview on Melbourne radio broadcast on Tuesday morning.

AFL Round 17. 12/09/2020. GWS Giants vs. Melbourne at the Gabba, Brisbane. Simon Goodwin, senior coach of the Demons and CEO Gary Pert. Pic: Michael Klein

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has made no contact with Demons player Joel Smith since the forward’s positive match-day drug test result was sensationally revealed.

The 27-year old was provisionally suspended in mid-October after a urine sample taken from him after the team’s round 23 game against Hawthorn returned positive for a banned substance, believed to be cocaine.

As the club continues to refute suggestions of a culture problem, Goodwin has not reached out to Smith, he said, still overcome with “anger and frustration” at the Demon’s alleged act in the days leading up to the game, nor has the player attempted tomake contact with his coach.

“I can only go by how I feel … when I first heard, I was incredibly angry, frustrated, to think we’ve potentially got a player in round 23, on the eve of a finals series, not doing everything to possible to help the success of our footy team,” the coach said in an interview on SEN that aired on Tuesday morning.

READ MORE: GARY PERT DENIES CULTURE CONCERNS

“I haven’t spoken to Joel – I’m going to let the process play out. I’ve got a level of anger and frustration towards it. The right people are talking to Joel from a welfare perspective … I’ve got a level of frustration because of everything we’ve just been speaking about.

“To potentially be in this situation, I’ve got a bit of anger towards him.

“No (he hasn’t tried to contact me).”

Goodwin said the players felt “exactly the same as myself”.

“Our leadership group, they’re really upset by it … they were doing everything they could to give themselves the best crack at the ultimate success,” he said.

“We’ll just work our way through it slowly as a football club.”

The penalty for an in-competition positive test is up to four years’ suspension, although there are provisions for a lesser penalty in some situations.

Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert said he had been in contact with Smith, and that no concerns had been raised by parents of other players in the wake of alleged behavioural problems involving Smith and fellow Demon Clayton Oliver who continuesto work through personal issues.

“I’m not feeling that anyone really around the club is seeing this as a reflection of anything that is a broader issue,” he said.

“I got advised before Joel through the AFL … then I have to organise for Joel to talk to the Sport Integrity people and the AFL. I’ve been heavily involved in this.

“Suffice to say when I took the call, it was shock … what was presented to me in that call, I’ve got to be honest, I literally can’t get my head around how we can be dealing with this.

“It’s been made very clear to me that we’re not involved in the process and we don’t have any information to pass on to supporters.

“We’ll be advised at the end of it and we’re not allowed to communicate anything in the meantime.”

Simon Goodwin and Gary Pert will speak to SEN this morning. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

GOODWIN: ‘I DO NOT USE ILLICIT DRUGS’

Simon Goodwin says he has “never” had an issue with illicit drugs while senior coach of Melbourne, revealing years of rumours have been “really hard” to deal with.

Goodwin has been at the centre of allegations surrounding his behaviour over the past three years.

Asked if he had had an issue with illicit drugs since being coach of Melbourne, Goodwin said “never”.

“And I’ve said this over a three-year period now and it’s pretty ordinary that I’m actually sitting in this position and having to justify that situation,” he said in a prerecorded interview on SEN.

“I know where it happened in terms of a rumour from down in the Mornington Peninsula where it was clearly going around.

“That for me was really concerning and bizarre at the time. It then led to an allegation. An allegation that was fully investigated by Gary Pert and the club about what that might have looked like. And there was nothing in it.

“I do not use illicit drugs. I give everything I can to my family and my team in a way that dedicates my life to my football club and to have this play out over three years where my reputation has been caught up in a boardroom battle.

“It has been documented over and over and over again in the public and it’s been really hard for myself, my family and enough is enough. I don’t use illicit drugs and I never will.”

Then-AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan had taken issue with Goodwin drinking and gambling with players at Hotel Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, labelling the action “crazy”.

“You can’t be doing that s … t,” this masthead reported McLachlan as saying — comments Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert said “certainly doesn’t help”.

Goodwin said the rumours “when it’s such a sustained period of time and there’s no fact to the rumour, it is really tough on your family”.

“I certainly don’t condone illicit drugs and it has been widely accused that I have a behaviour and lifestyle that’s justnot acceptable,” he said.

“Do I enjoy having a beer and a punt and a glass of wine with mates? Of course I do.

“I’m a pretty straightforward type of guy, but I live my life in a way that is a dedicated approach to my career and my football club and my family.

“The rumours have to stop. It’s gone way out of control from a boardroom battle into court documents into republication and rehashing of a story over and over again to the extent where it’s become a ‘fact’, which is just not fair and it’s gone from a rumour, to an allegation, to a fact and it has got to stop.

“I’ve had enough and I think as an industry we need to be better than what we are today. We’re starting to really hurt people in this game too much through this period of time.”

Simon Goodwin and Gary Pert addressed culture rumours in a prerecorded interview on SEN on Sunday. Picture: Michael Klein

TOUGH LOVE AHEAD FOR CLAYTON OLIVER

Embattled Melbourne star Clayton Oliver will be shown some “tough love” as Demons chief executive Gary Pert declared the club’s culture was the best he had seen “in 40 years”.

The club has remained adamant that off-field incidents involving Oliver and forward Joel Smith — who recently returned a positive match-day drug test for an illicit substance — are isolated and not indicative of a wider issue.

Coach Simon Goodwiin said of Oliver: “If he can’t come along with our culture, there will be some consequences that come with that”.

Asked on SEN if Oliver had an issue with illicit substances, Goodwin did not answer directly.

“Clayton Oliver’s got some personal challenges, and that’s the best way we can describe it,” Goodwin said.

“This isn’t something that has just reared its head in recent times. This is something that has been ongoing for our footyclub and our team for a number of years.

“We’re working incredibly closely with Clayton right now and building the best people around him and putting care around him to deal with his complex personal issues.”

Pert said a “tough love approach” was needed at this point in time.

“Maybe right at the moment, a firmer, clearer, tough love approach based on expert advice coming through is more appropriate for where we’re at right now. It’s important for the entire player group to see that right now,” Pert said.

Goodwin was adamant the club “didn’t consider trading” the premiership star.

Pert said individuals would be held to account for their behaviour.

“When you have a cultural issue, that’s about whether you have the leaders and the leadership programs and do you have standards and discipline and accountability in place,” Pert said.

“I’ve got to say, I’ve been in the game now for 40 years. Our culture at the club, men’s and women’s programs, is the best I’ve seen in 40 years.

“That’s because of the people, the leadership, the clarity and strength and resilience of that culture.

“These behavioural issues will be held to account by those leaders because everyone is so clear on the standards and expectations and Clayton might be viewed by some as our best player, but our best player and our first-year recruit are held accountable to the same standards, we make no apology for that.

“Recently, we have made clear to Clayton and his management that he is being held accountable and that needs to be tightened up.

“Not just for Clayton, but all the players living and breathing that culture every day need to see that everyone is held accountable.”