GOODY’S FUN VIDEO HELPS DEES RELAX
MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin showed a video poking fun at his food poisoning to relax his edgy team before Saturday’s grand final.
Demons IT staff created the clip, which featured the faces of Goodwin and assistant Adem Yze – who also fell sick for four or five days last week from eating dodgy linguine – superimposed onto movie scenes. Goodwin played it to his team after sensing it was nervous leading up to the Western Bulldogs clash. Melbourne defender Harry Petty and then Yze confirmed its content.
Yze said Goodwin understood that players could be overwhelmed by anxiety and stress before big games, so used lighter moments really well.
“They took the piss out of himself and I just for being crook all week from food poisoning,” Yze said after the 74-point win.
“It just breaks the ice a little bit ... then we get into the final details of the game.
“He did that, like he would in Round 2.”
Petty said the video calmed everyone down.
“In the pre-game meeting we were all pretty edgy, you could tell, and he’s shown a funny video just to relax,” the 30-gamer said.
Petty had a restless sleep on Friday night and was pinching himself in Perth Stadium’s change rooms postgame.
“I still can’t really believe it,” said Petty, who was raised in the outback town of Wudinna and joined the Demons from Norwood via pick 37 in the 2017 draft. “It was a childhood dream to win a flag and we’ve done it.”
Petty came into the side after Adam Tomlinson sustained a season-ending knee injury.
“I’m just trying to play my role for the team,” he said.
“Obviously I’m not going to get the attention as much as Jake (Lever) or Steven (May) do, but they wouldn’t be them without me. That’s all I’ve been getting told by backline coach Troy Chaplin, Goody always says it.”
Petty started to relax with about six minutes remaining in the last quarter.
“Me, Maysy, Jake Lever, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey were all getting around each other,” he says. “It was unbelievable.” Petty celebrated in Perth with family, including sister, Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty.