MELBOURNE is set to ramp up talks over a contract extension for coach Simon Goodwin pre-Christmas.
AFL.com.au understands chief executive Gary Pert and chairman Glen Bartlett will thrash out plans for a new deal following the club's first top-four finish since 2000.
Goodwin and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley are the only two coaches in the competition set to fall out of contract at the end of 2019.
Goodwin was initially handed a five-year deal by Melbourne ahead of the 2015 season, the first two as an assistant under Paul Roos before taking the reins as senior coach for 2017.
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The Demons had been waiting for Goodwin to return from his post-season overseas travel before starting negotiations.
He has since returned and has been on hand for training for the club's first-to-fourth-year players before the rest of the senior group go back on Monday.
Goodwin spent time in the UK, upskilling with visits to English Premier League clubs and the English rugby union team.
While the club will hope to have a fresh deal finalised before the start of the 2019 home and away season, he could put pen to paper as soon as January.
Goodwin has been integral in the recruitment of several Demons in the past two seasons, notably former Gold Coast Suns co-captain Steven May in this year's NAB AFL Trade Period.
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He also landed first-choice pair Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham from Essendon, having formed a relationship during his time as an assistant at the Bombers.
May spoke glowingly of his instant connection with Goodwin during the process of him deciding on a move to the Demons.
"When I met with Simon Goodwin, there was just something about him and their pitch and how they can get the best out of players," May told Channel Nine in October.
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"If you look at Hibberd and Melksham, they've been able to go and extend their careers at the Demons and get the best out of themselves.
"I felt like my career had plateaued a bit, I take full responsibility for that, but I just feel a fresh environment and those sort of players and coaches around me can only help me.
"A lot of the offers and the pitches were about the club and where they're heading, but Goody was a lot about what he can get out of me as a player and what I can offer our team.
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"He made me feel really valuable and he touched on their family values and what it is to be a Demon and it's something that resonated with me."
May and Goodwin will be crucial to the Demons' push for the club's first premiership since 1964 next year.
Your coach's contract status
Adelaide: Don Pyke - 2021
Brisbane: Chris Fagan – 2021
Carlton: Brendon Bolton – Rolling contract
Collingwood: Nathan Buckley – 2019
Essendon: John Worsfold - 2020
Fremantle: Ross Lyon - 2020
Geelong: Chris Scott – 2022
Gold Coast: Stuart Dew – 2020
Greater Western Sydney: Leon Cameron – 2020
Hawthorn: Alastair Clarkson – 2022
Melbourne: Simon Goodwin – 2019
North Melbourne: Brad Scott – 2020
Port Adelaide: Ken Hinkley – 2021
Richmond: Damien Hardwick – 2021
St Kilda: Alan Richardson – 2020
Sydney: John Longmire – 2020
West Coast: Adam Simpson – 2022
Western Bulldogs: Luke Beveridge - 2020
