Simon Goodwin confirms Melbourne’s interest in adding Brodie Grundy

Melbourne have long been linked with acquiring an expensive star as coach Simon Goodwin was put on the spot over the club’s stance.

Gawn and Grundy, what a duo. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin was put on the spot regarding the club’s position on rumoured links with Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy.

Grundy had a year to forget for the Pies through injury as his name hit the trade rumours with the reigning premiers heavily linked to adding him.

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The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph confirmed the former All-Australian ruckman’s tenure at Collingwood had run its course.

Grundy still has five years remaining on a monster $7 million deal which he put pen to paper to in 2020.

“Let me tell you what’s happening – I can’t explain why it’s happening,” Ralph said on On the Couch.

“So at Collingwood Brodie Grundy has played his last game at the club, barring an extraordinary backflip. This has all been driven by Collingwood, not Grundy.

“My understanding is the football boss Graham Wright met with Grundy’s management and said we need his cap space off the books. It enabled him to look around, he chose Melbourne over Port Adelaide and Geelong.

“He only wants to go to Melbourne, he will go to Melbourne. The Pies have a little bit of interest in Sam Hayes, who is the Port Adelaide tap ruckman.

“But you look at last week, Sean Darcy, 19 hit-outs to advantage (vs Collingwood). They were dominated in the ruck again (against Sydney). I can’t explain it, but it’s going to happen.”

On Monday night, Goodwin joined the desk of AFL 360 and was questioned by co-host Mark Robinson about the club bringing in another star ruckman instead of chasing a key forward.

“We wouldn’t have had these discussions if we didn’t think it would work. We’ve got some planning in and around that, we’ve spent some time analysing how that would look within our game system and style,” he said.

“We think it works for us as a team.

“We’ll go all out to fill that void that Luke Jackson is going to lose for us, and Brodie is one of those players we’re looking at … we’ll get more information in the next couple of days, he’s a contracted player at Collingwood at the moment.”

Grundy and Gawn could be teammates next season. (AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)

Former Melbourne great Garry Lyon was quick to slam the Demons for chasing Grundy, saying the ruckman doesn’t solve the club’s biggest problem.

With Jackson telling the club during his exit meeting he wanted to be traded home to Western Australia, the Grundy rumours ramped up. But Lyon was baffled by the potential addition.

“Max and him can play in the same team, and that’s a great strength, but how do they fix the problem that has dogged them all year and that is forward of centre,” Lyon said on SEN.

“If you do get two first rounders, then one of those goes to Collingwood for Brodie Grundy.

“The Demons lose Jackson, he’s gone, so they’re going to end up with two great ruckmen, how does that work in terms of sharing the load and all that? Because neither of them… look like they can go down here and fix this problem forward of centre.”

He said the Demons appear to be committed to the prospect of turning Gawn into a forward capable of kicking 35-45 goals per season.

“I don’t see that. I don’t. I think he’s an unbelievable footy player but I’m not sure he’s going to be the answer to their forward problems and therein lies the conundrum,” he said.