Simon Goodwin | Demonwiki (original) (raw)

DOB: 26 December <1976>

First game as coach: Round 1, 2017 vs St Kilda at

Honours:
Premiership coach - <2021>
All Australian coach - <2021>

Recruited by Adelaide in the 1996 pre-season draft, Goodwin won back-to-back premierships in his first two seasons with the Crows and played 275 games.

After his playing career ended he joined as an assistant in <2010>, and made his senior coaching debut in the last game of <2013> after James Hird was suspended by the AFL. With Hird also suspended in <2014> Goodwin was promoted to senior assistant behind Mark Thompson as the side qualified for the finals. At the end of the year he joined Melbourne as an assistant coach despite the Crows job becoming available on the day before he joined Melbourne.

His five year deal included two seasons as senior assistant coach before taking on the senior coaching role from Paul Roos in 2017. In his first season his side had a narrow finals miss due to a Round 23 loss, then in <2018> they qualified for their first finals series since <2006> and made a Preliminary Final. Bigger things were expected in <2019> but the side plummeted down the ladder to 17th place with just five wins.

Goodwin's side rebounded in <2020>, but still missed the finals, finishing 9th. He started <2021> as the most under pressure coach in the league, with the expectation that if the Demons got off to a poor start he could be dismissed. Instead, the side won their first nine games and the minor premiership. They then romped through September, culminating in a 74 point Grand Final win, making Goodwin the first man to coach a Melbourne premiership since the legendary Norm Smith.

Seven weeks into <2022>, with his side unbeaten, Goodwin signed a contract extension to stay at the club until <2024>. The season ended in disappointment when his side finished second but lost both finals. In August <2023> he further extended his contract until 2026, but again saw the Demons exit the finals in straight sets.

Lists

Media
melbournefc.com.au - 18/09/2014
melbournefc.com.au - 05/05/2022
melbournefc.com.au - 23/08/2023

Links
Coaching statistics
Crows History Locker
Playing statistics
Wikipedia profile