Melbourne treated Simon Goodwin with disrespect. Now his coaching ambitions are alive

July 25, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

It is almost a year since Melbourne sacked Simon Goodwin, the club’s first premiership coach in 57 years, with three rounds remaining in the 2025 season.

Coach sackings are never pretty but even allowing for the fact that both parties have emerged in greener pastures the Demons’ treatment of Goodwin looks particularly brutal and their handling of the surprise decision shambolic in terms of its timing.

The week before he was sacked, Goodwin emerged from a club meeting that followed Melbourne’s disastrous loss to St Kilda (“Bloody Nasiah!” he would say seven days later) saying he felt fully supported by the club’s powerbrokers who had endorsed the direction he wanted to take the club.

One week later interim president Brad Green delivered the fateful news flanked by the club’s acting CEO David Chippindall, football boss Alan Richardson and director Angela Williams. Of that quartet, only Williams still holds the same role she did 12 months ago.

Chippindall has resignedfrom the club. His replacement Paul Guerra was sacked in May and is embroiled in a legal dispute with the club. Richardson, who is out of contract at the end of 2026, was replaced over the summer in his role by Ned Guy. Steven Smith, who would soon take over as president and who backed the decision, was travelling in Europe.

Goodwin was sacked immediately after Melbourne thrashed West Coast by 77 points. Close observers expected Goodwin’s future would come under scrutiny at the end of the season. But the board moved early, believing Carlton were about to sack Michael Voss, and Melbourne wanted to get the jump on the Blues. Instead, Carlton backed Voss to coach into 2026, and they parted ways in May.

Frankly, it was disrespectful........

© Brisbane Times