“But I also understood that it was going to be really hard to deliver on that expectation.

“[When] we started to tumble down the ladder and lose games of footy, there was no doubt I started to become more of a recluse. I started to lose the passion for the game.

“It probably didn’t hit me until that press conference when I was standing there talking trying to answer a question and I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.

“At the time I didn’t know what had happened. When we broke it down, I wasn’t coping with the pressure and the stress and anxiety had come over me.

“I had to start to really address some of the things that were going on with my life and where I was as an individual.”

Goodwin, a two-time premiership player and five-time All Australian in 275 games for Adelaide, said a self-discovery retreat in Bali set him back on the right path.

He said the experience of 2019 had held him in good stead earlier this year when bullying allegations against him came to light. In standing by Goodwin, the Demons said their coach had embraced feedback from a football program review of the 2020 season and rejected the claims.

Tomlinson answers May day call

Jon Pierik

Adam Tomlinson will be a direct replacement for star defender Steven May but the Demons could make a handful of changes for Saturday night’s clash against Sydney.

May was concussed on Saturday when the Demons had their 17-game winning streak snapped by the visiting Fremantle Dockers, and will miss at least the one match under the league’s health-and-safety protocols.

Tomlinson, 28, has not played senior football since round four but gets another chance to impress, having had what coach Simon Goodwin said was “six weeks of outstanding VFL footy”.

“He’s back winning one-on-one contests and he’s playing our defensive system to a really high level,” Goodwin said on Wednesday.

“Obviously, with May, [Harrison] Petty and [Jake] Lever, it’s been really hard to get him back into the team, but the opportunity has arisen and he deserves his spot.”

Tomlinson would be playing regular senior football at many clubs but has found it tough in a team eying back-to-back premierships.

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Goodwin said Christian Petracca had battled a bout of the flu but would be ready to face the Swans. The Norm Smith medallist had only 10 touches against the Dockers.

“He’s brought a bit of energy and spirit back to the group, which has been fantastic. He’s fine, he’s ready to go,” Goodwin said.

“He had a small dose of the flu but got through that no worries, pulled up really well and he’s ready to train fully.”

Opposition teams may attempt to use the Dockers’ victory as a template for how to curb the Demons but the defending champions were without several of their premiership stars.

Tom McDonald (ankle), Ed Langdon (ribs), Michael Hibberd (calf) and James Harmes (hamstring) could all return against the Swans, who regained their groove against Richmond. Christian Salem (ankle) is also in the mix but the Demons are weighing a VFL return for the dynamic half-back in the curtain-raiser at the MCG, as he hasn’t played since round one.

While it could be argued recalling a handful of players at once may unsettle a team, Goodwin said the possible inclusions meticulously knew their roles.

“All our guys that will be available for selection know our system incredibly well and one thing we know that works well for our team is cohesion,” Goodwin said.

“Those guys know their role incredibly well and have built cohesion over a long period of time.

“It doesn’t faze me one bit the number of guys that come back into the team; it will just be whether they’re fit, healthy and ready to perform.”

Dangerfield backs push for mid-season trade period

Jon Pierik

AFL Players Association president Patrick Dangerfield says a mid-season trade period could “jackknife” a team’s campaign and believes the new mechanism could be introduced within the next couple of years.

The players’ association has previously given tentative support to a mid-year trade period but Dangerfield delivered a bullish tone when questioned about the potential for change on Wednesday.

While there is now a mid-season draft, there remains much to work through before a trade period is introduced, as players would need to be willing to uproot and shift across the country almost overnight. Clubs have also raised the concern of players who leave passing on team strategy and intellectual property mid-season.

Dangerfield said the upcoming negotiations for a new men’s collective bargaining agreement was an ideal time to discuss change.

“Generally these things line up with new CBAs. Whether that’s the changing of the five-day breaks [to enable more Thursday-night matches], there being more of them, and those sorts of things, it’s all up for discussion and that’s what’s so exciting around a CBA. It has a huge amount of challenges that come with it because there’s so much to negotiate out,” Dangerfield said on SEN on Wednesday.

“There’s a lot to work through, but there’s some pretty interesting and exciting little opportunities that could provide a real spark to the game.”

The Geelong champion, reappointed as AFLPA president on Tuesday night, said a mid-season trade period would help teams and players.

“If you were a contender, and you sat idle through a trade window, and those around you moved and added an asset - we’ve seen it around the world - it could be such an invigorating period to jackknife the season,” Dangerfield said.

“Everyone can win - it’s not like the grand final where only one team wins each season. When it comes to trading and drafting, you can sell it any which way as a club.

“I see there being plenty of good stuff to potentially come out of it and not too many negatives. It will never be perfect. I see it as a mechanic to improve the game and provide opportunities for other players, which, I think, is a good thing.”

Dangerfield is adamant the AFL executive “will have had serious discussions around it”.

“There will be clubs who support it and there will be clubs who question it. Does it remove the art of list management? Potentially,” he said. “Does it add a greater amount of excitement and intrigue to it? I think it does. After all, we’re in the entertainment industry, so there’s a bit of understanding the importance of that.”

Cats wary of Bulldogs’ midfield depth

Alexander Dabb

Chris Scott is wary of the Bulldogs’ midfield depth ahead of their clash at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, conceding match-ups in Geelong’s back half needed some extra attention.

“Their midfield is so deep that they need to have the excess midfielders [play forward]. But you just need to think about those flips, and what the make-up of their forward half is going to be.

“It’s a bit of a balance between being conscious of what they’re aware of, but also asking some questions of their forwards. Tom Stewart played well last week, Mitch Duncan has been really effective back there, our backline group of six or seven or eight players have been pretty solid.

“I don’t think we will do anything to destabilise the way our backs play, put it that way.”

Scott also said that the way the Bulldogs play at their Marvel Stadium home was something that needed to be acknowledged to execute a “situational attack”.

“I think it’s true of the Bulldogs generally, especially at Marvel because they have so much talent through their midfield, they back that talent in, and they try to use the ball. They’re not a bang-it-on-the-boot team, they try to use their numbers and play with speed,” he said.

“If [Aaron] Naughton gets really penetrating ball use with time and space he’s going to be a handful for any team defence, and then on the other side, we do think about trying to force them to defend with a bit of speed on the ball, but at that venue they’re pretty good at getting back.”

Rhys Stanley and Gary Rohan are likely to return for the Cats, who sit one win outside the top four.

Hawks’ ruck crisis to ease with Reeves expected to return

Jon Pierik

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell expects the club’s ruck crisis to ease against Collingwood on Sunday, with Ned Reeves expected to return from a shoulder injury.

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Reeves has not played since dislocating his shoulder on Easter Monday but fell just short of resuming against Gold Coast in Darwin last Saturday. He had been put on a strengthening program, in the hope he can avoid surgery, at least in the short term.

“He had only done one contact session to get there and that sort of was enough to technically tick him off, but it wasn’t enough to what we would call our threshold for a player we think is going to be important for our future,” Mitchell said on Wednesday. The Hawks were without a frontline ruckman against the Suns, with skipper Ben McEvoy (neck) and Max Lynch (concussion) also missing.

Lynch has had a frustrating first year with the Hawks, having been concussed twice, in round one and round 10, while also having had to enter health-and-safety protocols. He has also had food poisoning and an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting. He will need to pass concussion protocols to resume against his former club.

Jack Scrimshaw (concussion) will miss, but star midfielder Jaeger O’Meara (hamstring tightness and illness) is pushing for a return.

The Hawks have to find a replacement for Sam Frost. Typically a defender, Frost was used as a ruck and forward last weekend but was suspended for one match for front-on contact on Sun Brandon Ellis. Stung by a heavy defeat to the Suns, the Hawks hope to rebound on a day they celebrate the 250-game milestones of premiership stars and great mates, Luke Breust and Liam Shiels.

“They are both great people and have been great servants for the club,” Mitchell said.

“I think them playing together is really special … this is actually perfect for them because they are guys who have never wanted the limelight.”

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