New coach, new president. Will Demons also have a new midfielder?

Melbourne will begin interviews for a new senior coach on Monday as St Kilda face a fight with the Demons and North Melbourne to retain midfielder Marcus Windhager.

The Demons’ season of change is gathering pace, with Paul Guerra officially starting as CEO and Brad Green confirming he will hand over the presidency to Stephen Smith at the end of the AFLW season.

Melbourne will also have a vacant seat on the board to fill ahead of their annual general meeting, as vice-president David Rennick has informed the club he is standing down. They will not immediately fill the casual vacancy.

The Demons hierarchy’s priority will be to find a replacement for Simon Goodwin, from a shortlist of six candidates for the job.

Multiple competition sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed the candidates are Nathan Buckley, Geelong assistants James Kelly and Steven King, Collingwood assistant Hayden Skipworth, Bulldogs assistant Brendon Lade and Essendon assistant Daniel Giansiracusa.

Giansiracusa interviewed for the North Melbourne coaching position in 2020, while Skipworth and King were candidates for the West Coast coaching position that became vacant last season. It was eventually awarded to Andrew McQualter.

Buckley is considered the favourite for the position, but he has made it clear he will be determining himself whether the club is the right fit for him as much as proving to the panel he is the man for the job.

The club hopes to fill the position quickly, so the senior coach can be involved in list management decisions.

Green, incoming president Smith and Guerra will be on the interview panel for the coach alongside football manager Alan Richardson, former Essendon great Jobe Watson, Melbourne Storm’s Frank Ponissi and HR expert Meahan Callaghan.

Green quelled speculation about whether he was prepared to hand over to Smith, saying it would happen in November.

“I am staying on as a board member and director. When the AFLW season finishes I will be stepping down and Steve Smith will be stepping into the chair,” Green said.

The hunt for Windhager

Melbourne’s pursuit of Windhager is genuine, but North Melbourne also consider themselves a genuine chance after offering the durable 22-year-old a five-year deal.

The Saints upped their original offer from two to four years recently and are keen to retain him after his good friend Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera re-signed for two years just before the season finished. However, the Demons and Kangaroos’ offers are more attractive.

Melbourne are also reportedly interested in Saints ruckman Max Heath, while they are yet to re-sign Judd McVee, who has interest from other clubs, and free agent and premiership forward Charlie Spargo.

The coaching appointment is also likely to play a key role in the future of contracted midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, who expressed an interest in being traded towards the end of last season.

The Demons’ business plan for building a new home base at Caulfield Racecourse is progressing well. Two competition and one racing source, who preferred to stay anonymous, said relevant parties were aligned for the first time.

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