Simon Goodwin (born 26 December 1976) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

coach and former player. He has been the senior coach of the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home g ...

of the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

(AFL) since 2017. As a player, Goodwin tallied 275 AFL games, all as a midfielder for the

Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

between 1996 and 2010. He won two premierships with the Crows in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, was a five-time

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

, and captained Adelaide for his final three seasons. As coach of Melbourne, Goodwin led the Demons back into the finals in 2018, and in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

coached Melbourne to its first premiership victory in 57 years. Goodwin was inducted into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coac ...

as a player in 2017.

Playing career

Adelaide Crows

Early career (1996–1999)

Prior to embarking on his AFL career, Goodwin was an accomplished junior cricketer, co-captaining the South Australian Under-19 cricket team. Recruited from South Adelaide in the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

with pick No. 18 in the 1996 Pre-season Draft, Goodwin made his debut for Adelaide Crows in Round 1, 1997, however, his game was marred by a severe quadriceps injury which kept him out for months. Goodwin returned to the side in Round 14 to face West Coast, holding his position until he was omitted following the Round 18 victory over Carlton at Football Park. Goodwin earned a recall prior to the beginning of the 1997 finals series, returning solid performances in all four of Adelaide's wins, including 19 possessions and a goal in the victorious 1997 Grand Final. After a poor start to 1998, Goodwin blossomed in the second half of the season, showing glimpses of the prolific ball-winner he would become in later years and once again playing a solid role in all four finals on the way to Adelaide's second premiership win in the 1998 Grand Final. The 1999 season was to be one of disappointment, however, as Goodwin's performances mirrored that of his club. Despite featuring in 19 of Adelaide's 22 games, Goodwin's progress was marred by inconsistency as Adelaide finished a lowly 13th in what was, at the time, the club's worst-ever finish to a season.

Rising career (2000–2004)

Following his disappointing 1999, Goodwin emerged as a star in his own right in the 2000 season with a string of assured midfield displays earning both his first All-Australian guernsey and Gold Jacket as Adelaide Club Champion. Goodwin capped this watershed year with selection to the Adelaide Football Club Team of the Decade. Another All-Australian selection followed in 2001 with consistently good performances alongside fellow star midfielders Mark Ricciuto,

Andrew McLeod Andrew Luke McLeod (born 4 August 1976) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the games record holder for Adelaide, having played 340 games. ...

and Tyson Edwards pushing Adelaide back into premiership reckoning for 2002 after three seasons where the club had finished no higher than eighth. In 2002 Goodwin struggled for consistency, in part due to the extra attention he was receiving from opposition taggers. Highly prolific games such as his 39 possession/1 goal game against Collingwood in Round 14 were contrasted by his 17 possession game against

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

in Round 7. After suffering an injury in Round 19 against Essendon, Goodwin returned to the team in time for the finals, where despite high expectations the Crows were defeated in a preliminary final. A member of Adelaide's pre-season premiership-winning team, Goodwin's highly promising 2003 was marred by a broken arm suffered early in the Round 11 clash with

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

at the MCG when he collided with the boundary fence following a contest. Upon his return to the side in Round 17 Goodwin looked to be far from his best, able only to provide a series of steady displays as the Crows, despite being one of the hot premiership favourites, were knocked out in a semi-final. As with 1999, Goodwin endured another horror year to mirror that of Adelaide's in 2004. Sidelined with an adductor injury between Rounds 4 and 16, by the time Goodwin returned

Gary Ayres Gary James Ayres (born 28 September 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently the senior coach for the Montrose Football Club in the Eastern F ...

had resigned and been replaced by

Neil Craig Neil Passmore Craig (born 11 January 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Norwood Football Club, Sturt Football Club and the North Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). H ...

as the Crows languished near the lower end of the ladder. To further rub salt into the wound Goodwin was cited for tripping Roger James and suspended for one week in Adelaide's 25-point loss to eventual premiers

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

in Round 22.

Career high (2005–2007)

Goodwin and Adelaide's fortunes turned around completely in 2005 as the side unexpectedly won the minor premiership despite being tipped by many for the wooden spoon. Individually Goodwin capped a superb return to top form, winning his third All-Australian guernsey and capturing his second club champion award. His stellar form continued in 2006, first winning the

Michael Tuck Medal The Michael Tuck Medal was awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. The award was presented annually between 1992 and 2013; since 2014, the award has not been presented due to the preseason being structured without ...

for best afield in Adelaide's pre-season grand final loss to

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

(the only player to do so in a loss), before again performing brilliantly in the season proper, winning his fourth All-Australian selection and third Gold Jacket.

Captaincy (2008–2010)

In early December 2007, Goodwin was named the captain for Adelaide for the 2008 football season. This coincided with a move into the forward line to allow the club's young midfielders to gain experience and bolster a struggling attack. The move paid dividends with Goodwin enjoying a career-best seven-goal haul in Adelaide's crushing Round 2 victory over the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

. In later matches, Goodwin was rotated between the forward and back half, increasingly the latter in order to allow young forwards to stake their claims for a permanent spot. In Round 15, 2009, Goodwin played his 250th game. The Adelaide Crows celebrated by defeating Fremantle by 117 points, 19.16 (130) to 1.7 (13), shattering a number of records in doing so.

Retirement

On 25 May 2010, Goodwin announced he would retire at the conclusion of the 2010 AFL season.

International rules

Goodwin served as the Australia international rules football team's goalkeeper for the 2004 International Rules Series.

Coaching career

Essendon Football Club

On 30 September 2010, Goodwin announced his appointment as assistant coach at

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

. On 27 August 2013, it was announced that Goodwin would take over as Essendon's caretaker senior coach for the final round of the 2013 season, following the 12-month suspension handed to James Hird as a result of the Essendon supplements saga. In his only game at the helm, Essendon lost to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

by 39 points. On 10 October 2013, Goodwin was promoted to the role of senior assistant coach for the 2014 season, following

Mark Thompson Mark Thompson may refer to: Sports * Mark Thompson (American football) (born 1994), American football player * Mark Thompson (baseball) (born 1971), baseball player * Mark Thompson (footballer) (born 1963), former Australian rules football prem ...

's appointment as interim senior coach for the period of Hird's suspension."Mark Thompson named Essendon coach as Bombers confirm James Hird won't return to top job in 2014"
''Herald Sun'', 10 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013."Thompson named Senior Coach for 2014"
''Essendon Football Club'', 10 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.

Melbourne Football Club

On 18 September 2014, Goodwin signed a five-year contract with the

. He served for two years as an assistant coach under senior coach Paul Roos before taking over as senior coach for three years from

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

in a succession plan. After a ninth-place finish in

, Goodwin led the club to its first finals series in twelve years in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Melbourne reached the preliminary final, where they lost to eventual premiers West Coast by sixty-six points at

Optus Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Burswood. It was completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. The s ...

. After falling to second-last in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and narrowly missing out on the finals in the shortened

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

season, Melbourne under Goodwin surged forward in

, winning their first nine games, their best unbeaten start to a season since

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

, and never finished a round lower than fourth on the ladder. Melbourne won their first minor premiership since 1964 — then their most recent premiership season — and advanced to their first Grand Final since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, prior to which Goodwin was named AFLCA Coach of the Year. In the 2021 AFL Grand Final against the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

, Goodwin's Demons started well, but faltered in the second and early in the third quarter and trailed by as much as nineteen points. Melbourne then put together a massive turnaround, scoring the next twelve goals en route to a 74-point victory, claiming their thirteenth flag and ending their 57-year premiership drought.

Statistics

Playing statistics

: , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 36 , 10 , , 4 , , 1 , , 93 , , 26 , , 119 , , 32 , , 25 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 9.3 , , 2.6 , , 11.9 , , 3.2 , , 2.5 , , 0 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 36 , 21 , , 8 , , 6 , , 202 , , 89 , , 291 , , 60 , , 45 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 9.6 , , 4.2 , , 13.9 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, , , , 36 , 19 , , 2 , , 2 , , 148 , , 77 , , 225 , , 49 , , 17 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 7.8 , , 4.1 , , 11.8 , , 2.6 , , 0.9 , , 0 , - ,

, , , , 36 , 22 , , 15 , , 21 , , 284 , , 177 , , 461 , , 104 , , 28 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 12.9 , , 8.0 , , 21.0 , , 4.7 , , 1.3 , , 7 , - ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, , , , 36 , 23 , , 16 , , 11 , , 370 , , 149 , , 519 , , 73 , , 90 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 16.1 , , 6.5 , , 22.6 , , 3.2 , , 3.9 , , 10 , - ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, , , , 36 , 22 , , 17 , , 16 , , 271 , , 205 , , 476 , , 61 , , 63 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 12.3 , , 9.3 , , 21.6 , , 2.8 , , 2.9 , , 7 , - ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, , , , 36 , 19 , , 13 , , 12 , , 208 , , 137 , , 345 , , 62 , , 43 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 10.9 , , 7.2 , , 18.2 , , 3.3 , , 2.3 , , 0 , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, , , , 36 , 10 , , 6 , , 2 , , 123 , , 65 , , 188 , , 38 , , 22 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 12.3 , , 6.5 , , 18.8 , , 3.8 , , 2.2 , , 2 , - ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

, , , , 36 , 24 , , 20 , , 12 , , 313 , , 233 , , 546 , , 107 , , 64 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 13.0 , , 9.7 , , 22.8 , , 4.5 , , 2.7 , , 9 , - ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, , , , 36 , 24 , , 12 , , 12 , , 369 , , 270 , , 639 , , 101 , , 83 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 15.4 , , 11.3 , , 26.6 , , 4.2 , , 3.5 , , 10 , - ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, , , , 36 , 21 , , 10 , , 8 , , 268 , , 248 , , 516 , , 91 , , 53 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 12.8 , , 11.8 , , 24.6 , , 4.3 , , 2.5 , , 12 , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, , , , 36 , 23 , , 33 , , 29 , , 272 , , 196 , , 468 , , 120 , , 61 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 11.8 , , 8.5 , , 20.3 , , 5.2 , , 2.7 , , 5 , - ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, , , , 36 , 21 , , 4 , , 2 , , 220 , , 328 , , 548 , , 119 , , 46 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 10.5 , , 15.6 , , 26.1 , , 5.7 , , 2.2 , , 6 , - ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , , , 36 , 16 , , 2 , , 1 , , 185 , , 217 , , 402 , , 81 , , 58 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 11.6 , , 13.6 , , 25.1 , , 5.1 , , 3.6 , , 6 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 275 !! 162 !! 135 !! 3326 !! 2417 !! 5743 !! 1098 !! 698 !! 0.6 !! 0.5 !! 12.1 !! 8.8 !! 20.9 !! 4.0 !! 2.5 !! 74

Coaching statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , , 1 , , 0 , , 1 , , 0 , , 0.0% , , 9 , , 18 , - ,

, , , 22 , , 12 , , 10 , , 0 , , 54.5% , , 9 , , 18 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ,

, , , 25 , , 16 , , 9 , , 0 , , 64.0% , , 4 , , 18 , - ,

, , , 22 , , 5 , , 17 , , 0 , , 22.7% , , 17 , , 18 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ,

, , , 17 , , 9 , , 8 , , 0 , , 52.9% , , 9 , , 18 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , 25 , , 20 , , 4 , , 1 , , 80.0% , , 1 , , 18 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , 2022 , , , 23 , , 15 , , 8 , , 0 , , 65.2% , , 2 , , 18 , - ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 135 ! 77 ! 57 ! 1 ! 57.41% ! colspan=2, Notes

Honours and achievements

Playing honours

Team * 2× AFL premiership player ():

* McClelland Trophy ():

* AFL Pre-Season Cup ():

Individual * AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award:

* 5×

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

* Adelaide Captain: 2008–2010 * 3×

Malcolm Blight Medal The Malcolm Blight Medal is a post-season award given to the best and fairest player for the Adelaide Football Club. The medal was first awarded in 1991, and later named after former Adelaide Crows coach Malcolm Blight. The voting system as of t ...

* Dream Team representative honours in

AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the History of Australian rules football, 150th anniversary of Australian rules football. Th ...

* 2×

Australian international rules football team :''This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Australian women's team, see Australia women's international rules football team.'' The Australia international rules football team is Australia's senior representative team in Int ...

* State of Origin (

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

Showdown Medal The Showdown Medal is the medal awarded to the player adjudged best on ground in the Showdown AFL match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. It is thus similar to the Ross Glendinning Medal awarded in Western Derby games. However, no medal is aw ...

: 2005 (Round 20), 2007 (Round 18) * Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2017 * Adelaide Team of the Decade 1991-2000

Coaching honours

Team * AFL Premiership coach ():

* McClelland Trophy ():

Individual * Jock McHale Medal:

* AFLCA Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year Award:

Controversy

On 1 March 2007, Goodwin was fined a record $40,000 and ordered to undertake compulsory counselling for placing four bets involving AFL matches totalling $16,024.58. Goodwin, along with three other players, became the first players in AFL history to be caught for betting on AFL matches.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Simon Adelaide Football Club players Adelaide Football Club Premiership players 1976 births Living people All-Australians (AFL) Malcolm Blight Medal winners South Adelaide Football Club players Australian rules footballers from South Australia Essendon Football Club coaches South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australia international rules football team players Melbourne Football Club coaches Melbourne Football Club Premiership coaches Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership coaches