Sacked Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has stated the sole reason the Demons board gave him when they fired him, three games before the season finished.
Melbourne President Brad Green hosted a press conference last week with Goodwin announcing his removal as coach of the oldest football club in the AFL.
Speaking on Fox Footy's AFL 360 about his sacking, the former Demons coach said the sole reason he was given was that the board thought the players needed a new voice.
"That was the reason I got; that they needed a new voice," Goodwin said on the program.
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“It was a shock, there’s no doubt about that. I was disappointed that they’d come to that decision — but you accept that position."
"Do I 100% think that I was the right person to carry this team forward? Yes, because I’ve done it before... but that’s the decision the board made, and I accept that decision."
Goodwin explained that the next coach should be excited for what the team could achieve, even with the challenges it has faced.
“There’s certainly been challenges, and things that all football clubs need to work on — and Melbourne’s no different. But if you walk through the doors at training at Casey Fields with those players, the environment’s healthy, alive and well ... and that’s the biggest part of your program to get right," he said.
“For the next coach, I think it’s set up incredibly well. I’d be incredibly excited by the group that they’ve got available to them.”
Talking about his future, Goodwin said he was open-minded about potential roles in the footy industry and will 'come back even better.'