How Demons’ 2021 premiership charge really started

An Aussie ironman champion and an energy healer were some of the first people Demons coach Simon Goodwin called after the grand final.

Goodwin found himself and a flag via unusual means

In the midst of Essendon’s long-running supplements scandal, Simon Goodwin found himself in the backroom of a Brunswick wedding dress store attempting pushups on two fingers with a Chinese master of Qigong.

Melbourne’s drought-breaking premiership coach still looks fit enough to take the field more than a decade after his decorated playing career with Adelaide ended in 2010.

But Goodwin, who worked as Bombers assistant coach through several of the club’s darkest seasons, was left in awe by the strength of Master Lu that day.

Those working at Essendon were burnt out by the scandal, no matter the size of their role. It was an all-consuming affair with little reprieve from one day to the next.

Seeking a release, Goodwin turned to his close friend Kane Johnson, a premiership teammate at the Crows who is among those to have mentored the coach at Melbourne.

Johnson played wingman to the former Adelaide captain as he ended up on the floor alongside Master Lu, who runs a Chi Masters studio behind the wedding dress store on Sydney Rd in Melbourne.

Simon Goodwin, Brett Burton and Kane Johnson after a loss against the Sydney Swans. Kane Johnson has been influential throughout Goodwin’s time coaching the ‘Dees’. Picture: Ray Titus/News Limited

“Master Lu was near 60 but he was showing Goody how he could still do two-fingered pushups, those types of things. His strength in mind and body is incredible,” Johnson says.

“It is a long time ago now but when Essendon went through their difficult period, Goody was an assistant coach and they were looking for someone to come and run some meditation and mindfulness, so I ran a program for the boys for a little period of time.

“What I have loved about Goody is that he is always looking to better himself. He has always been quite open to exploring different realms.”

The date with Master Lu is just one example.

Goodwin has always been willing to look outside the centre square to broaden his thinking and improve his coaching.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin and his captain Max Gawn hold the premiership cup aloft after winning the 2021 AFL grand final. Picture: Michael Willson/Getty Images

Fostering a culture of connection

Melbourne’s first flag in 57 years was won in dominant fashion over the Western Bulldogs, with star performers excelling and others consistently playing near their peak. Christian Petracca was brilliant. Captain Max Gawn was marvellous. Clayton Oliver starred as a midfield bull. It would be hard to find a Demon that did not fulfil their potential.

After years of struggle, Goodwin found a way to harness these talents. The five-time All Australian later described the 25 minutes after the premiership had been won as the best of his life.

Having started 2021 under immense pressure, the culture of connection Goodwin began creating from 2017 finally enabled the Demons to flourish.

Coaches often look to other sports for inspiration. Four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, for example, departed for America on an extended study tour last month. Goodwin’s scope, by virtue of his relationship with mentors including Johnson, extends beyond traditional sporting borders to less orthodox practices, at least when it comes to football.

The willingness to explore is perhaps not surprising given he played in premierships with Adelaide under Malcolm Blight, who was renowned for flirting with the unorthodox in football.

In the aftermath of Melbourne’s triumph, Goodwin thanked champion ironman Trevor Hendy, big wave surfer Mark Visser, energy healer Charlie Goldsmith and Johnson for their influence on his life.

“I had to go and speak to some people away from the game that look at things differently and, in footy, I probably needed to look at the game a little bit differently,” Goodwin said.

“There were some things I needed to deal with, to bring some energy back to my role. You speak to coaches who have gone through a lot of challenges and you think, ‘Surely it can’t be that bad’.

“And then you get in there yourself and, if you are not prepared for what it is, it can get really big on you. I went away and reassessed all that and that is when I started to shape the footy club again.”

Simon Goodwin in action for the Adelaide Crows during a 2009 semi-final against Collingwood. The Crows team narrowly lost the match, with Goodwin as captain. Picture: Michael Klein

The drought-breaking premiership did not come easily, despite the magnificence of Melbourne’s form this year.

Goodwin, the AFL Coaches Association’s coach of 2021, was reported to be struggling when addressing an exclusive forum for Melbourne members just last December.

Another testing moment came when he was unable to complete a routine midweek press conference in 2019, stepping away from reporters when his mind drew a blank, a moment he would initially dismiss the next day as “a little bit of carry on”.

Instead, these proved themselves pivotal moments. Something needed to change. It prompted him to seek a solution that would help him alleviate his stress according to Hendy.

The iconic surf-lifesaver, who has worked with Nathan Buckley and Kelly Slater, was introduced to Goodwin a few years back by Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert.

“Goody was a guy who was ready to go to the next level,” Hendy says.

“He had an inner readiness. He was asking the right questions.

“He had tried out all the other things and, all of a sudden, he was like, ‘No. There must be more to it than this’.

“I did not [do] much more than say, ‘Hey buddy. I am right with you. I love you. You have got this. Just look here, here and here’. And he did that. It was that simple.”

Former ironman Trevor Hendy was one of Simon Goodwin’s first calls after Melbourne won this year’s AFL grand final. The pair became friends after Goodwin was introduced to Hendy by Demons CEO Gary Pert. Picture: Jerad Williams/NCA

‘Adversity is our best friend’

The so-called curse of Norm Smith has been a wretched thing. It had driven the Demons to despair dating back to 1964. Rare moments of promise too often petered out.

Hopes soared in Goodwin’s second season as coach when they surged to a 2018 preliminary final. But the wheels fell off the next season. Then the pandemic hit.

The curse seemed to be kicking with an eight-goal wind.

Goodwin, who played 275 games with the Crows, was under immense pressure with his coaching career in peril.

But the bonds that strengthened after his difficulties in that 2019 press conference helped Goodwin navigate yet another serious test of his mettle.

“It looked like a negative, challenging moment, but it was not actually a negative moment, because it allowed him to reach out to people,” Hendy says.

“I have had those moments myself, where I was sitting on the kitchen floor, broken down and in tears, thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’

“It just happened to happen to him in front of a press conference. Those moments are defining moments. They make it possible to open up to what is coming.”

Simon Goodwin during a 2021 AFL match against Hawthorn. Though the season was overwhelmingly successful, Goodwin’s time as senior coach has been fraught with ups and downs. Picture: Michael Klein/NCA

In Johnson and Hendy, Goodwin found athletes who had not only experienced their own hardships, but were also open to exploring less common practices to improve their lot.

Johnson, who was in Goodwin’s bridal party at the turn of the century, embraced a different path after struggling with stress as Richmond captain late in his career.

He spent time in a Brazilian jungle, trained with Shaolin Monks and embraced Qigong, meditation, mindfulness and practices aimed at restoring his energy flow.

“Goody admits he had a rough time in a press conference where he lost his train of thought and he realised then that he was highly stressed and taking on too much,” he says.

“That is when he went deeper into the process of trying to lighten his load and change his perspective, so he could find the love of life again.

“I could really relate to that from being the captain of Richmond, where there was this period where I lost the love because I was just too stressed about it all and had taken too much on.

“It wasn’t until my sister sent me a card for my 30th birthday that I realised how bad it was.

“She wrote, ‘Kane, I watch you so often, but I just feel like you have lost the love and the connection compared to when I used to watch you as a boy, when you would run around playing for hours and hours on end’.

“I was crying while reading the thing. It was so simply written and so spot on. I thought, ‘I have to free myself up. I have to have fun again’.

“Not that that example happened to Goody but when the stress comes, you tighten up and you can’t find that love and connection to what you love and what you are doing, and that is part of what he went through there. He made some changes in his life and obviously that had a big impact.”

Simon Goodwin celebrates with Kane Johnson in a 2001 match. Their tight friendship has long outlasted their playing days, with Goodwin calling upon Johnson for advice through difficult times in his coaching career. Picture: Sarah Reed/NCA

Chastening life experiences have helped in their own way to shape Goodwin, made him more relatable to his players and improved his coaching ability.

He was fined $40,000 by the AFL in 2007 for breaching the league’s gambling regulations. The Essendon situation was uncomfortable. His long-standing marriage to Maggie was among the AFL partnerships which did not survive the pandemic.

And the stress caused by Melbourne’s descent back into mediocrity after a bright season in 2018 felt crippling.

“Adversity is our best friend,” Hendy says. “Adversity plays an incredible role for us. We do not grow without adversity. It is our soulmate.

“It is what pushes us to consider other options, to see if there are other options that you have not explored as of yet. It is the enemy of comfort. It is a really, really powerful thing.”

Finding joy away from footy was also critical. Goodwin was a promising cricketer in South Australia when he joined the Crows.

A month prior to the 2021 season starting, he rolled the arm over in a veterans cricket grand final for STC South Camberwell at HA Smiths Reserve, just underneath Melbourne’s Monash Freeway.

A rival quipped Goodwin bowled too short that day. But he snared a wicket. And the side found their way to the flag.

During a post-match beer, he was relaxed in the company of his teammates and rivals, enjoying the celebration.

“He has always loved cricket. I can remember when I first met him, he was playing state cricket as an 18-year-old and then got drafted to the Crows. He loved it,” Johnson says.

“So going back to play cricket, it is about finding the things that he loved. He is still connecting with other people. For Goody, it means that it is not all just about footy. It means he has other outlets to explore.”

Was it an omen?

The Demons are set to resume training. The next challenge is to defend the premiership.

And all at Melbourne will be hoping Goodwin finds his line and length again in 2022.

Originally published as How Demons’ 2021 premiership charge really started