Simon Goodwin speaks on importance of standards at Dees’ best-and-fairest

After a long week at Dees HQ, coach Simon Goodwin addressed the club at their best-and-fairest on Friday night, reinforcing the importance of standards at the footy club.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin delivered a pointed message to his players at the club’s best-and-fairest on Friday night only hours after the Demons declared Clayton Oliver would not be traded.

Oliver, 26, was whisked through a back door at the Centrepiece function to avoid the waiting media outside the main entrance. But he posed for photos with fans inside, enjoyed a drink with teammates and seemed in good spirits at the vote count.

“Great moments are born from great opportunities. We don’t want to tell our dreams, we want to live them and we want to live them with you,” Goodwin said.

Oliver was the subject of trade speculation all week. Photo by Michael Klein.

“To all our players, when you do face challenges and eventually breakthrough them it makes the prize at the end of the road more satisfying and more fulfilling.

“We have an opportunity right now, an opportunity to harness the hurt. Learn from it and come back stronger. It’s in our hands.

“One thing that has enabled us to keep showing up is our culture. A culture that has been built over a period of time and is the piece that we will be uncompromising in maintaining and building further to achieve the ultimate success.

“Everyone needs to be heading in the same direction, and as we head into the off-season, I’ve never been more confident that we can achieve this as a club.

“It’s up to everyone to keep driving standards and I urge every player here tonight to enjoy the break.

“But remember, we will be dusting ourselves off and going again next year.

“It’s all about winning more moments. As the famous Ron Barassi said, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me’.”

Goodwin’s message that “everyone needs to be heading in the same direction” and message about driving standards seemed particularly relevant after a week where Oliver’s future at the club was in the spotlight.

Goodwin also referenced Chiristian Petracca’s commitment when he won the best-and-fairest.

“Christian is a special player, and his commitment to improving his craft and the team is second to none,” Goodwin said.

“He works incredibly hard on his game, and is hyper focused on being the best player and teammate he can be.”

Goodwin reinforced the need for high standards at the club. Photo by Michael Klein.

But it was Oliver who led the count when he suffered a hamstring injury after round 10. Fans cheered loudly for Oliver throughout the night and his Instagram post from the event was flooded with supporter comments who were relieved he was staying.

Angus Brayshaw told the crowd of more than 1000 that he was on the mend from last month’s sickening concussion.

“I’m doing well, playing lots of golf. I feel like I’m improving,” Brayshaw said.

New Richmond coach and Dees great Adem Yze attended for what marked his final red and blue function.

Yze and ex-Tigers interim coach Andrew McQualter have swapped places, but McQualter did not attend the best-and-fairest.

President Kate Roffey cautioned fans to listen to its club when it came to trade period.

“The thing that we seem to forget is when we’re talking about trade, we are talking about people and people that we care about,” Roffey said.

“They are not Monopoly pieces that we get to move around boards.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in trade period … but when we talk about trades, the first people we talk to are our players, then the clubs and then last of all we will talk to the media.

“So when you want to know what’s actually happening, wait until something official comes from the club.

“That would be trade news that we put out there – not speculation that’s in other places.”

New Tigers coach Adem Yze attended the event. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Roffey also said it was up to supporters to stop the AFL scheduling Demons games down the highway.

“People continue to ask me why do we have to go and play in Geelong every year? And I say big clubs don’t go to play in Geelong,” she said.

“So if you want to stop going and playing in Geelong every year then sign up as a member if you’re not already a member, and if you’ve got friends who are supporters, sign them up, because when you’ve got 75,000-85,000 members, you don’t have to go down and play there.”

Roffey also encouraged fans to act more like the Collingwood Army next season.

“We’re on a mission to actually be louder and more obnoxious. We need to be better at supporting our players and getting those umpire whistles to go our way,” she said.

Originally published as Simon Goodwin speaks on importance of standards at Dees’ best-and-fairest