Melbourne players have let down Goodwin says Spud

SEN footy analyst Danny Frawley has taken aim at the Melbourne playing group, after several players asked the AFL Players Association to intervene on a proposed pre-season camp.

The former Richmond coach said up to 14 players had voiced their concerns about the trip, and feels coach Simon Goodwin has been undermined via the lack of communication from his group.

“How can you let the players rule the roost at the Melbourne Football Club?” Frawley said on SEN Breakfast.

“I’m Simon Goodwin driving to work today, I’ve got a real shitty feeling in my gut that I just can’t work out, because we’re in it together. But there’s 14 of my boys who have gone behind my back.

“A couple of guys really did get strong on it, grabbed a couple of the young guys and they’ve rang the AFLPA and said ‘we think this is unprofessional, we’re athletes, we want to get through Christmas unscathed’.

“The Players Association have put a do not go to camp, get this camp stopped.”

At the same camp 12 months ago midfielder Dom Tyson suffered an injured patella tendon, while defender Christian Salem suffered concussion after a brick fell out of his bag.

However, Frawley is adamant a couple of amicable discussions would have solved any concerns, instead it has left Goodwin wondering about what he has done wrong.

“Why didn’t the Players Association ring up [football manager] Josh Mahoney and say ‘guys we need to look at this camp and just sort a couple of things out’,” he said.

“We’ve got doctors going on it, we’ve got physios, we don’t want players to get injured. Let’s sit down like grown men and work through this issue. Oh, no they’ve just stamped it, this isn’t happening.

“I think Simon needs to get the playing group in and say ‘guys the communication lines are open, have I not been honest to you guys, have I not been up front?’”

He believes the camp is a lost opportunity for the players to bond together, particularly after a number of lean years for the club.

“You look at the Bulldogs, you look at Richmond, chemistry is one of the hardest things to gain at a footy club. It really is,” Frawley said.

“At the moment the fabric in the Melbourne football jumper, there’s a few seams that need sewing up, because at the moment it’s all over the shop.

“I’m very confident that there is a real flatness about the coaching staff towards the players heading into Christmas, at the moment.”