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.
Incumbent coach Paul Roos' three-year tenure at Melbourne will come to an end after the 2016 season, with the designed handover to come into effect the following year.
Goodwin, who had a solid grounding in an assistant coaching role at Essendon prior to his appointment at the Demons, will play a significant role in mentoring the club's talented young core this season.
Developing Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw, the club's first-round draft picks, the right way will be pivotal if the Demons are going to rise from the bottom rungs of the ladder.
"The first stage is for him (Goodwin) to come in and get relationships with the players and coaches," Roos told AFL.com.au.
"He'll mentor the young leaders in the footy club and really work hard to make us a good club as soon as he can."
An Adelaide Crows great, Goodwin played 275 games for the Crows between 1997 and 2010. He also captained the club from 2008 to 2010 and was an All Australian on five occasions (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009).
The 38-year-old comes to Melbourne with a wealth of playing and coaching experience, having contributed in a crucial role in Essendon's coaching box as a senior assistant to Mark Thompson last season.
Goodwin – who signed a five-year contract with Melbourne – will work closely with the club's midfielders this season, before progressing into more senior duties in 2016.
The succession plan, formulated and confirmed in September last year, will be an important measure of the Demons' future successes.
"That's the benefit of the succession plan so we can give him some opportunities," 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."
