DEE IS FOR DISCIPLINE
Proud Goodwin defends club after thrilling win
MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin has launched a passionate defence of the club’s culture in the wake of blistering allegations it has a discipline problem.
The Dees had a thrilling eight-point win over Carlton yesterday, a fortnight after four VFL players were sanctioned for drinking alcohol on a six-day break. Four other senior Demons, including Tomas Bugg, have received suspensions for striking opposition players this season.
But Goodwin defended his players yesterday, saying the character and discipline of the young team was on show in the final stages.
The Dees are now fifth on the ladder and are on track to break their 11-year finals drought.
“I’m incredibly proud, it was a big week for the footy club in a lot of ways,” the coach said. “But the character and strength of the players that we have got is substantial and what they showed today was full of character.
“We clearly didn’t play our best footy and we have clearly got some people out, but they continue to find a way [to win] and that’s what I love about this group.”
Goodwin said he would speak to midfielder Clayton Oliver today over allegations he threatened a Carlton fan over the fence in the second term.
The first-year coach was adamant the incidents this season had been dealt with appropriately and would hold the Dees in good stead after years in the lower reaches of the ladder.
“We have had some acts that don’t resemble what we want to stand for and they have been addressed and that’s what good culture is,” he said. “So culture is an interesting word when it gets bandied around and how you actually get it and how you build it. We are still building culture. We need to be really clear on that, but the character of the group that we are starting to develop is through culture.
“And that’s how we are starting to win some of these close games and there is a belief around that that is really growing around this footy club”.
Goodwin lauded Tom McDonald for his four-goal heroics and the hard-edged defensive work from Neville Jetta that helped claw the Demons to victory.
He said midfielder Dom Tyson and Jack Watts were in the frame to return from injuries against Adelaide on Saturday in Darwin.