The 10 candidates to replace Simon Goodwin at Melbourne and the 'big four' that has emerged

Melbourne made the call to sack coach Simon Goodwin with three weeks left in the season in order to get into the coaching market first.

The question now is working out who they were desperate to get first access to.

There's certainly no shortage of quality contenders around. If the Demons are looking for an experienced coach to take the reins, they will have quite a few to pick from.

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A quality group of first-time options are also out there, though any list would be headlined by the "big four", as coined by former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.

When asked if he would consider the role, former Essendon coach James Hird told Nine's Footy Classified that he would politely decline.

Here's who the Dees could target, starting with the 'big four'.

John Longmire

The chief target will naturally be Sydney premiership coach John Longmire, who stepped away from coaching following his side's 2024 grand final loss.

One of the most successful coaches of the 21st century, Longmire has yet to indicate just how willing he would be to step back into the spotlight, but given his resumé and how recently he exited the coaching scene, he will naturally be at the top of Melbourne's list.

Few are better placed to weigh in than Paul Roos, who handed the reins via succession plans to Longmire at Sydney and Goodwin at Melbourne.

"I haven't spoken to (Longmire) directly. When he made the decision to leave, we all thought he'll have at least a year off," Roos told ABC Sport.

"That year hasn't really expired yet, and there's been no need to ask the question because there have been no jobs available.

"I suspect that someone has made the phone call already from Melbourne, because if they haven't, they are bereft in their duties.

"I think they've made a call or will within the next 24 hours and get an answer either way."

Longmire has remained at the Swans out of the limelight, serving as Sydney's director of club performance.

Adam Simpson

The 2018 premiership coach with West Coast, Simpson's time at the Eagles came to an end following the 2024 season, after the club fell into a deep rebuild, one that still consumes them now.

Alongside Longmire, he brings the credentials of having taken a team to the top, even if things fizzled out at West Coast in the aftermath.

Simpson has been asked repeatedly in 2025 of his interest in returning to coaching, but has indicated he is in no immediate rush to return to the hot seat.

"There's no real desire to jump straight back in (to coaching) at the moment," Simpson told Fox Footy in July.

The 49-year-old has spent the year working in the footy media and seemingly has no burning desire to return to the top level.

Ken Hinkley

Ken Hinkley will finish up at Port Adelaide in three weeks, with the club announcing at the start of the season that assistant coach Josh Carr will take over in 2026.

It is obviously unclear if Hinkley will want to jump straight from one club to the next, though there's no doubting his experience and consistency of success.

While he has never taken the Power to a grand final, he took a club at its lowest ebb when he arrived in 2013 and turned them into a consistent contender.

Hinkley is a master motivator and knows how to maximise the talent at his disposal, something the Dees have in abundance.

Adelaide champion Rory Sloane believes Hinkley will want a break from the top job in 2026.

"I think he (Hinkley) is fried, there's been a lot of speculation about him for years, I don't think he'd want to step straight back into a coaching role," Sloane told Nine's Footy Classified.

Even if it's not as head coach, there will certainly be teams lining up to bring him within their four walls in some capacity.

Nathan Buckley

The last of the 'big four', Buckley took over as Collingwood coach from Mick Malthouse and had one of the best teams in the competition in the latter part of the 2010s, falling inches short of premiership success in 2018.

He and the Pies parted ways in 2021 and Buckley has worked in the media since, often playing down his desire to return to the coaching scene.

However, he has been strongly linked to the Tassie Devils position and has indicated his general interest in it.

The Devils will need to make a call on their inaugural coach in the next 12 months in order to start building out their football department, could Melbourne beat them to the punch and win Buckley over?

Speaking on SEN, Buckley said he would take the phone call, but struggles to see himself taking the job.

"I would have a chat, but a lot would have to fall into place to leave this position of comfort I have found," Buckley said on Wednesday.

Corey Enright

The Geelong champion has turned heads quickly as an assistant coach at St Kilda, with his strategic mind already impressing those around him.

In fact, it has been reported that the Saints see him as the potential long term replacement for veteran coach Ross Lyon.

Sloane believes Enright, with Hinkley behind him in a head of coaching role, is something the Demons should consider.

"They worked together at Geelong," Sloane explained on Nine's Footy Classified.

Hayden Skipworth

Senior assistant coach to Craig McRae at Collingwood, Skipworth is highly rated across the competition.

He was a key strategic part of the Pies' rise under McRae, and appears to be one of the top assistant coaches in the competition, ready to take the next step up.

Skipworth earned plaudits earlier in the year, for helping fellow assistant coach Scott Selwood, during the tragedy of his brother Adam's death.

Troy Chaplin

They do say possession is nine-tenths of the law and Chaplin is the man who will take over from Goodwin as interim Melbourne coach for the final three weeks of the season.

We have seen a number of caretaker coaches ultimately win the top job, including David Teague at Carlton, Rhyce Shaw at North Melbourne and Brett Ratten at St Kilda.

Chaplin has been at the Demons since 2016 in various assistant coaching roles and nobody would know the inner workings of the club and the playing group better.

The club may of course want to head in a fresh direction with a new face.

Danny Daly

A key part of Chris Fagan's coaching staff at Brisbane, Daly is a veteran coach and administrator who has spoken of his desire to become a senior coach.

He is seen as Fagan's likely replacement, if the premiership coach opts to retire when his contract expires at the end of 2027.

Daly has been in the AFL ranks since 2000 in numerous roles and the likes of Gold Coast and Collingwood have attempted to poach him in recent years.

Brendon Lade

The 2004 Port Adelaide premiership ruckman has 15 years of experience amongst the assistant coaching ranks.

He is currently at the Western Bulldogs, but has previous experience at St Kilda, Port Adelaide and Richmond as well.

Brett Montgomery

Another veteran assistant coach, Montgomery has a ton of experience around the AFL landscape.

Montgomery was in the running for the West Coast coaching job in 2024, but ultimately returned to GWS, where he has worked as an assistant coach for three seasons.