Simon Goodwin Biography

Melbourne backs senior coach Simon Goodwin to lead the embattled club back to finals but have overhauled his assistants following a review into their football department.

"The review confirmed the strength of our football program's leadership and staff, while identifying an opportunity to refresh energy and leadership within the assistant coaching group supporting senior coach Simon Goodwin," president Brad Green said in a letter to members.

The Demons have appointed Goodwin's old Adelaide teammate and experienced assistant coach Nathan Bassett to oversee their backline and team defence.

Former Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones returns to work as midfield coach alongside Sam Radford, while Troy Chaplin will switch to forward line coach.

Simon Goodwin says he is unable to comment on allegations of secret drug testing being conducted to enable players to avoid detection on game day.

Federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie told parliament on Tuesday night of the allegations made by former Demons club doctor Zeeshan Arain, ex-club president Glen Bartlett and Shaun Smith, father of Melbourne player Joel Smith, who is under investigation by Sports Integrity Australia after returning a positive game-day test for cocaine.

"(The drugs) policy is an AFL policy, it's an AFLPA (Players Association) policy and it's led through a medical model," Goodwin said.

"So you're asking me questions that I have no line of sight over. It's something that I've never really thought about. I just back in the process of what the policy is. These are questions you're going to have to ask the AFL."

Simon Goodwin will coach Melbourne until the end of 2026 after signing a two-year contract extension with the Demons.

"I’ve said it from the time I walked through the door; we are an incredibly proud club, with such great history, and I feel blessed to be able to do this job," Goodwin said.

"It takes so many great people to make a football club, from players to staff, to CEO and Board, to members and supporters. It’s everyone, connected and aligned, and I’m just lucky enough to be steering the ship."

The Demons release a statement slamming a recent media report regarding former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett's long-running dispute with the club and coach Simon Goodwin.

On the eve of the 2022 season, the Demons supported Goodwin after Bartlett's concern over the coach's alleged behaviour at, and out of, the club became public. On the eve of the 2022 season, the Demons supported Goodwin after Bartlett's concern over the coach's alleged behaviour at, and out of, the club became public.

"The board of the Melbourne Football Club unequivocally refute the unsubstantiated, historical and outrageous accusations against Simon Goodwin and other club leaders as published in (Wednesday's) Herald Sun," the statement read.

"The views expressed by Ms Laspas (Bartlett's partner, Vicki) are her recollection of historical events and are in direct contrast with the recollections of the Melbourne Football Club Board.

"The board are unanimous and united in their support of Simon Goodwin and are dismayed that he and his family will need to again endure this attempt to undermine his outstanding reputation as a club leader."

Simon Goodwin signs a contract extension with Melbourne to remain coach of the Demons until the end of 2024.

"To be able to commit for another couple of years and be a part of this playing group and this footy department is very exciting," Goodwin said.

"We've spent a lot of time building this footy club and this program and now's the time to really try to maximise and have a really good few years - I'm really looking forward to that."

Melbourne trio Kysaiah Pickett, Luke Jackson and Tom Sparrow, as well as coach Simon Goodwin, will miss Saturday's clash with Hawthorn after entering the AFL's health and safety protocols due to testing positive for COVID-19.

Adem Yze will take the reins in the coaches' box in place of Goodwin for the match.

Melbourne defends head coach Simon Goodwin after reports surface with claims of bullying leveled against the premiership coach.

A News Corp report revealed the Demons had been hit with an unlawful dismissal claim in late 2020 in which Goodwin was accused of bullying former club doctor Zeeshan Arain, with the claim later settled.

"Simon totally rejected any accusations of bullying behaviour and as the club president, I totally support Simon rejecting those accusations," Melbourne president Kate Roffey said.

"Simon is an inclusive leader who is loved by the players, coaches and staff and goes out of his way to build genuine relationships throughout the football department and broader club."

Basil Zempilas apologises to Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin after not letting him speak during the presentations following the 2021 AFL Grand Final.

After accepting the Jock McHale Medal from John Worsfold, Goodwin should have given a speech as is tradition for the premiership-winning coach, but Grand Final MC Zempilas continued on.

"As they were having the team photo, I asked one of the people to go and get Simon, let's get him back up and let's do it," he said.

"And I said 'Simon, my apologies, that was crazy' and he said to me 'there's so much going on, it's fine, it's fine'.

"And he stood next to me and we tried to get the PA down to be able to get Simon to say what he wanted to say in front of the crowd or whatever he might have been going to say.

"The PA I couldn't reach, the cup had gone, and 'BT' (Channel Seven commentator Brian Taylor) was down side of stage and said 'I'll grab him' and Simon said 'hey, no problem at all'."

Simon Goodwin is named as the AFL Coaches Association's coach of the year for 2021 after orchestrating a stunning Melbourne revival and leading the club to its first Grand Final in 21 years.

"Although it's an individual accolade, ultimately it reflects the efforts of our entire footy club. It is the sum of all parts that come together to create a strong football club and I certainly wouldn't be receiving this award without the support and assistance of everyone who plays a role at the Melbourne football club," Goodwin said.

As Melbourne's date with the 2021 Grand Final approaches, head coach Simon Goodwin and assistant coach Adem Yze are forced to miss the Demons' training session on Friday after falling ill.

"He's (Goodwin) woken up a little bit crook, both him and (Yze). They'll be fine come tomorrow but the club didn't want to take any risks and the docs said just to stay back. It's a pretty light session today so all the other coaches and a few of the staff will help us out," Demons assistant coach Troy Chaplin said.

An embarrassed Simon Goodwin insists he's ready to coach Melbourne again despite being forced to cut short a press conference on Wednesday due to illness.

Goodwin fronted reporters on Wednesday but halfway through his voice became to waiver, as it became apparent he was unwell.

Assistant coach Troy Chaplin stepped in to finish the media conference as Goodwin was assessed by the club doctor.

"I just wasn't feeling too well at all and it was just a bit of a dizzy spell. I had a few tests, got sorted and felt fine," Goodwin said.

"I got a bit of a razz from the boys. It obviously created some good vision too. Outside of it being a little bit embarrassing, everything is fine, which is great.

"I think it was just a little sign to say slow down a bit. That's what my wife told me, and the kids have reminded me to slow down and take it easy and look after yourself."

The first thing Melbourne players were exposed to in the 2018 pre-season was coach Simon Goodwin baring his soul in a heartfelt and revealing insight into his life journey.

No topic was taboo, including his $40,000 fine – half of which was suspended – 11 years ago for betting on an AFL match, his gambling addiction, his parents separating when he was a child and, of course, the Essendon supplements saga.

"For him to open up like that shows a fair bit of courage, but also shows just how much he trusts the group, and so many players benefit from that," Essendon forward Jake Melksham said.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin admits to feeling devastated when the Demons missed out on a finals berth in 2017 by failing to defeat Collingwood in the final round of the season.

"We were shattered for our supporters because as a club it's been such a long time," Goodwin said.

"And we were really disappointed for our players, who had invested a lot. It meant a lot to them, but adversity finds you in footy and it gives you a chance to grow."

Simon Goodwin is inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

The classy midfielder had a dream start to his AFL career, winning two premierships with the Crows in his first 31 senior games.

"It happened really quickly," Goodwin said at the ceremony.

"As a young player, I loved the experience.

"As I went through my career, I felt I needed more and that pushed me to greater heights."

Simon Goodwin says he is looking forward to assuming responsibilities as head coach of the Demons in 2017.

"I've done a lot of work to get to this position and I feel like as a coach I've built some really strong relationships with the players and the staff and they're really clear on what my vision and strategy will be," Goodwin said.

"I'm looking forward as a senior coach to working even closer with the players and really bringing their dreams to life.

"Seeing them improve and what you work on is one thing, but just seeing them grow as people is really rewarding … that's what gets you up in the morning."

Jake Melksham says his friendship with Simon Goodwin was the decisive factor in his decision to seek a trade from Essendon to Melbourne.

"He gave me a ring and could see I wasn't enjoying my footy or reaching the potential that I had. I'd go around [to his place] for dinner often [and one day] he said 'come around, we'll have a chat'," Melksham said.

"He said, 'You need to ask yourself what you want to get out of your footy career? You need to find that passion and reignite yourself again'.

"He said 'I'm not going to pressure you into anything and it's not going to [change] our friendship if you do come [to Melbourne] or you don't. It'll still be the same – there will be no hard feelings, but I just want you to get the best out of yourself'.

"It got the ball rolling and I thought maybe a fresh start would be good for myself, so that's where it got started."

Melbourne will continue the process of preparing Simon Goodwin for the senior coaching role in 2017, with the Demons to give him the opportunity to sit in the hot seat during the club's 2016 NAB Challenge campaign.

"Coaching the NAB Challenge gives Simon another opportunity to continue his development in preparation to being our senior coach in 2017," Demons football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"We've been working with Simon over the last 12 months, which will continue into this season, and we'll be providing him opportunities to develop as many skills as possible for the big step of moving from a senior assistant coach to a senior coach."

Dean Gore will wear number 36 for the Crows in 2016, the same number that Simon Goodwin wore in 275 games for Adelaide.

"I chose the No.36 because Simon Goodwin wore it," Gore said.

"As a kid, I used to go to Crows games all the time and he (Goodwin) was a player I loved watching."

Bernie Vince has ended Nathan Jones' three-year best and fairest streak, claiming his maiden Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy at Crown Palladium on Friday night.

Vince, who polled 328 votes, edged out emerging onballer Jack Viney by just one vote in a thrilling count, to add to the best and fairest award he won at Adelaide in 2009.

Tom McDonald's outstanding start to the season, which saw him feature in the All Australian discussion, was enough to steer the key defender (300 votes) into third place.

Vince, 29, made special mention of coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin, who will take the reins in 2017, revealing he was the one who first taught him the standards he needed to abide by during their time at the Crows.

"Since I first set foot inside the Adelaide Football Club I always looked up to him but he didn't always look on me that well for the first couple of years," Vince said.

"He took me under his wing in 2007 and he taught me how to train and taught me how to play at the elite level and I never thought I was an elite level player until he told me that.

"I thank him so much for this year – he's been fantastic for me."

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says Demons coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin will remain at the club despite reported interest from Adelaide following the tragic death of Phil Walsh.

"Goody [Goodwin] is committed to the footy club and we're really pleased to have him and he is making a significant contribution here," Roos said.

"I'm not sure there is much else I can say other than that he will be coaching the Melbourne Football Club and the Melbourne fans will be pretty excited when he does."

Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod are among eight inaugural inductees honoured with a place in the Adelaide Crows' Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at a lavish function at the Entertainment Centre.

The club's inaugural CEO Bill Sanders, inaugural chairman Bob Hammond, dual premiership coach Malcolm Blight, and players Ben Hart, Tony Modra and Simon Goodwin were the club's other inductees.

Melbourne will give Simon Goodwin a chance to fill several roles usually reserved for senior coaches in the coming years as the club prepares for him to take over the top job in 2017.

"That's the benefit of the succession plan so we can give him some opportunities," incumbent Demons coach Paul Roos said.

"When he does become senior coach (he'll learn that) it's a lot about managing your staff.

"[We'll give him the] opportunity to do that, interact with the board, interact with the marketing department, sponsors, all those sorts of things."

Melbourne midfielder Bernie Vince says Melbourne's appointment of Simon Goodwin as Paul Roos' successor will help the Demons continue to rebuild their culture as they emerge from a dark period.

"He's really big on the culture thing and I think he's spoken a little bit about that in the media but at Adelaide, he was almost like a coach in his last couple of years," Vince, a former teammate of Goodwin at the Crows, said.

"He was obviously captain but he was treated as a coach, teaching the young guys out there.

"He's a great teacher and loves working with young kids coming through."

Melbourne signs Simon Goodwin to a five-year contract, which will see him take over as senior coach of the Demons when Paul Roos departs at the end of the 2016 season.

Goodwin will learn the ropes as an assistant coach under Roos for two seasons, before taking the reins in 2017 in the top job.

"There were some things within Melbourne that really resonated with me about the cultural journey that they were on to building sustained success," Goodwin said.

"That's what I'm really trying to be part of. What I really believe in is how you build success through culture, and that's something that really influenced me about the Melbourne footy club."

Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman denies new board member Mark Ricciuto has sounded out Simon Goodwin about a reunion at the Crows.

"I honestly have not spoken to Mark about that, we're not even discussing coaches at this stage," Chapman said.

"So at the moment we have got a couple of recruitment processes going along, one for the list manager and one for the CEO. And that is all."

Simon Goodwin says the top job as coach of Brisbane is more appealing to than Essendon's interim role while James Hird serves his 12-month suspension.

"It would be a great opportunity to stay (at Essendon) and be a part of it next year," Goodwin told the Seven Network's AFL Game Day.

"But if you get the opportunity to coach your own team for a long period of time, it's probably an opportunity you can't knock back."

Bombers assistant coach Simon Goodwin declares his interest in taking the head coaching position available at the Brisbane Lions.

"I've been interviewed by Brisbane. I put my hand up there. I'm keen to be a senior coach, I've gone through that process. We'll just have to see how that pans out," Goodwin said.

"If you get the opportunity to coach your own team for a long period of time … that's an opportunity that I certainly can't pass up. It's something that I want to do. I want to be a senior coach, and I feel like I'm ready now."

James Hird is a no-show at a scheduled press conference, leaving assistant coach Simon Goodwin to answer media question prior to the upcoming game between Essendon and Carlton.

"I think we all understand that there's a lot going on away from just football," Goodwin said when asked about Hird's absence.

"There's a lot of meetings going on ... I think that what we all need to do as staff is really step up and take some of that load away from James and actually help in this situation, and help the club actually move forward. It's territory that we haven't been in before."

Bombers assistant coach Simon Goodwin becomes the latest Essendon figure to become embroiled in the club's supplements scandal.

The ABC's 7.30 program has published text message exchanges pertaining to be between Goodwin and controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank.

In the texts, from July last year, Goodwin reportedly asks Dank to supply him with "the good stuff" and "good gear."

"Don't forget the good gear mate," Goodwin reportedly writes on a text sent to Dank on July 5, 2012.

One week later, Goodwin reportedly writes: "Sorry mate forgot to see you yesterday. Am heading to Adelaide today can you please bring some of the good stuff in buddy."

Former Crows captain Simon Goodwin says he will not be putting his hand up for the vacant senior coaching job at his old club Adelaide and will remain as an assistant at Essendon.

"A senior coaching role might be something that I will look at further down the track, but at the moment I am happy with how everything is going at the Bombers," Goodwin said in a statement released by Essendon.

"I have a great opportunity to develop under the current coaching structure. The knowledge that guys like Mark Thompson and Brendan McCartney can impart from their experience in building Geelong's premiership side, as well as sharing in the journey of James' first year as coach, is invaluable and will set me in good stead to develop as a coach."

Essendon assistant coach Mark Thompson says co-assistant coach Simon Goodwin would need an experienced mentor if he was to be given the head coaching job at the Crows following Neil Craig's departure.

"I don't know you'd ever say no to a job if it was offered to you, but saying that, if he went there, he'd need someone in my type of role to help him," Thompson said.

"It's a massive job and it's totally under-rated in some aspects. You don't really know how hard or difficult it's going to be or how busy you're going to be or how much pressure you're going to be under until you're actually in the driver's seat."

Essendon assistant Simon Goodwin says he is keen to remain as an assistant coach at the Bombers despite rumours linking him to Adelaide.

"I'm only one year out of the game and really enjoying developing here as a coach and working with the players here at Essendon," he said.

"Not only that, but the coaching staff and the club here have been terrific. We're asking the players to continually improve as players and also the coaches, and I feel this is a really good environment for that."

Patrick Dangerfield says teammate Scott Thompson should figure strongly when votes are cast for Simon Goodwin's replacement as captain of Adelaide.

"He's an outstanding game day leader for us and he would be a very good captain if he was voted by the players," Dangerfield said.

"He's very capable of it with the way he goes about his preparation. The influence he has over the team on game day is huge and he'll be looking to step up his leadership next year."

Retired Adelaide captain Simon Goodwin has joined Essendon's new-look coaching panel to work under James Hird after rejecting similar offers to join Carlton and St Kilda.

"Despite being sought by a number of clubs, Simon wanted to come to Essendon because he felt that he could have a big influence on the young group of players here," Essendon football operations manager Paul Hamilton said.

"The opportunity to work with James Hird was obviously another strong influence in his decision. We have got a lot of faith that Simon is a person of the highest quality and character."

Simon Goodwin's career is over after the Crows captain announced injury would prevent him from playing again in 2010.

"That has been my aim for the past few weeks but it slowly became clear that my ankle injury was not going to allow me to do anywhere near the training required to play," Goodwin said.

"Nearly two weeks ago I attempted to jog and lasted only 30 seconds. Today I tried again and within a couple of minutes it was obvious that there had not been any improvement."

The Western Bulldogs have flagged their interest in poaching retiring Crow Simon Goodwin as an assistant coach.

"From my own point of view I think he would make a very good coach," Bulldogs football operations manager James Fantasia said.

"I've got no doubt in my mind about that just knowing him the way I do, and how he thinks about his footy, his understanding of the game and teaching others. He's going to make a very good coach.''

Adelaide's Simon Goodwin confirms that he will retire at the end of this season.

"The game ultimately is getting quicker and faster and I'm getting older and slower and it's going to cross paths at some stage. I wanted to go out on my terms and play as if it's my last game for the rest of the year," Goodwin said.

"I wanted to be remembered as a player that played with a highly competitive spirit and who played right to the end with very high standards and not someone who crawled to the finish."

Retiring Adelaide captain Simon Goodwin says his gambling addiction would have taken him down a life-threatening path if not for the club.

"It would have been a lot tougher without the support of the club and I certainly would have gone down a path that would have been a lot more dangerous and almost life-threatening for a whole range of reasons," Goodwin said.

"The support network here has been unbelievable ... it's changed my life around. My gambling was spiralling out of control and I owe this football club a lot. It owes me nothing."

Adelaide Crows coach Neil Craig hails Goodwin as perhaps the best captain the club has ever had despite his gambling issues.

"Simon has been an exceptional individual, an exceptional player and I would suggest the greatest captain this football club has ever had," Craig said.

"At one stage it was suggested that he should exit our football club and (he's gone from that) to being the captain of our football club...I think that sums up Simon Goodwin."

Adelaide has added Brad Symes to the leadership group and made Simon Goodwin captain for a third year.

"It's something that when I woke up this morning I didn't come to the club expecting," Symes said.

"We had a pretty rock-solid leadership group last season and I didn't see that changing going into next year, but leadership is something that I've been working on in the last year or two ever since I got to the club.

"It's a massive honour to be acknowledged by my peers that I've been doing some of that work and they've seen that come through."

Adelaide coach Neil Craig throws his support behind Simon Goodwin remaining captain of the Crows.

"His playing credentials are there for everyone to see and you see his on-field leadership, but what a lot of supporters won't see is his leadership off the field and on a day-to-day basis. He's developing into, possibly, the most outstanding captain this club has ever had," Craig said.

Adelaide best-and-fairest Bernie Vince says a helping hand from skipper Simon Goodwin prevented him from making an early AFL exit.

"Simon's been a great influence on my career. I was just cruising through the system a little bit in my first couple of years and I put almost everything I've achieved over the past couple of years down to what Simon Goodwin has done for me," Vince said.

"He got me out and made me train. Once he did that and said he believed in me I started to believe in myself. If it wasn't for Simon there's every chance I would've been out of the system and back home playing for Stansbury."

Kurt Tippett signs three-year contract extension with Adelaide to stave off overtures from the Gold Coast while veterans Brett Burton, Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin and Tyson Edwards re-sign to play on for one year.

The re-signings were announced at the club's 2009 best and fairest awards with club champion Bernie Vince saying he was always confident of Tippett staying.

"I was in Kurt's ear every day for him to stay. It came down to his decision, but I always had faith he would stay," Vince said.

"He gets on really well with everyone here and I even told people back home [in Stansbury] that I'd be really surprised if he left at any stage."

Adelaide captain Simon Goodwin says that the Crows over 30 including himself, Tyson Edwards, Andrew McLeod and Brett Burton feel like they have unfinished business after losing a semi-final in heartbreaking fashion to Collingwood.

"All four of us are reasonably keen to go on, but at the same time I don't think anyone of us have had a conversation with the footy club or sat down and done our review yet," Goodwin said.

"The result from the weekend is certainly painful. You feel as a player that there's some unfinished business there... there's some unfinished business there that we'd like to contribute towards."

Adelaide midfielder Bernie Vince has become an elite performer, skipper Simon Goodwin says.

""Bernie's got enormous talent and what he has developed in his game is an unbelievable training ethic. He's developed into an elite player and it's been great to watch his development," Goodwin said.

"He's made some big sacrifices. He had a decision to make a couple of years ago about the work required to be a top AFL footballer and had made the decision that he wanted to do the hard work."

Adelaide coach Neil Craig says Vince's development is largely due to being mentored by Goodwin himself.

"A lot of that recognition goes to Simon for his mentoring. A lot of what you're seeing in Bernie Vince at the moment is very similar to the way Simon Goodwin plays his footy," Craig said.

"I think Bernie's been very lucky to be in an environment where he's had access to a Simon Goodwin."

A fit Simon Goodwin, and the possible return of Brett Burton means Adelaide will make at least one change to its winning line-up, says assistant Mark Bickley.

"Simon's had a few weeks on the sidelines now, so we really wanted to see how he touched the ball and he was pretty good today," Bickley said.

"He's the captain of our club and he was in good form before he went out of the side, so he's a very strong possibility to play.

"You might've thought Brett was going to come back pretty rusty and that it would take a couple of weeks for him to get back into it, but on the strength of his performance last week he's a genuine candidate.

"His touch was fantastic, he moved well and he pulled up really well. He's probably been ready for two months in terms of physically being able to run and get involved in training."

Adelaide captain Simon Goodwin will miss another week with his troublesome knee injury.

Ruckman Ivan Maric said it was disappointing not to have the captain available for Saturday night's clash with Richmond on the Gold Coast.

"Wherever Goody plays - forward, back or midfield - you know he's going to do a job and in the last quarter when it's crunch time, you'd put him in the middle every day of the week," Maric said.

Nathan van Berlo's stunning third quarter helped his team to a come-from-behind victory against Sydney and showed he is ready to become a true leader at Adelaide in the absence of captain Simon Goodwin who was out with injury.

"Nathan has been really sound for us this season, but I thought his third quarter today was exceptional," Craig said after the game.

"In actual fact, when the playing group ask each other and their teammates for leadership and 'who's actually going to start this?' Nathan van Berlo, I think, put his hand up and demonstrated that leadership through his actions.

"We've been pleased with Nathan, but today was a class game for him."

Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin will have to wait to play his 250th game after being ruled out of this Sunday's clash with North Melbourne at AAMI Stadium.

Goodwin, 32, injured his knee early in last weekend's win over Essendon and initial fears were that he would miss two weeks.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig says skipper Simon Goodwin will play against the Brisbane Lions despite an ankle injury.

"There has to be some risk involved because Simon's not 100 per cent, but there are lots of guys running around with sore ankles," Adelaide coach Neil Craig said.

"He probably won't be 100 per cent for a month, because they tend to hang around for a while."

Adelaide defender Michael Doughty expects captain Simon Goodwin to take his place against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night despite Goodwin leaving the ground against the Bulldogs due to a rolled ankle.

Simon Goodwin says suspended defender Nathan Bock has tarnished the image of the club and the AFL and is paying a heavy price.

Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin believes the Crows have the players to fill the holes left by injury and suspension.

Simon Goodwin says the depth and youth of Adelaide's list is lessening the pressure on its more experienced players

Simon Goodwin is unanimously named by the playing and coaching group as captain of the Crows, succeeding the recently retired Mark Ricciuto.

"It is a huge honour to be elected as captain of the Adelaide Football Club," Goodwin said. "It will be a tough job to follow Mark but there is a great feeling around the club at the moment and everyone is really excited about next season."

Goodwin also addressed his gambling issues which were brought to light last year, stressing that he had worked hard to rectify them.

"I certainly broke some trust among the players but I've worked really hard to get that trust back," he said. "It wasn't an easy 12 months for me but I think I've matured and learnt a lot and certainly developed as a person and a leader.

Crows head coach Neil Craig said that Goodwin would be a worthy leader. "Simon clearly has earned enormous respect and trust from our playing group and the coaches and he will be a fitting appointment to captain the Adelaide Football Club."

Rounding out the leadership group for the Crows are senior players in Tyson Edwards, Nathan Bassett and Brett Burton as well as the younger Ben Rutten and Nathan van Berlo.