With the Demons at the crossroads after a dismal 2019 campaign in which they have tumbled from preliminary finalists to the bottom two, The Age understands Melbourne have been in contact with the Richardson camp about a possible move to the Demons – who ironically were seen to be rivals of the Saints as both teams rebuilt during the middle of the decade. Despite his team’s disastrous year, Melbourne senior coach Simon Goodwin is safe, having signed a three-year contract extension on the eve of round one. But there has already been upheaval in the positions surrounding Goodwin, with the Demons announcing on Monday night that assistant Brendan McCartney would depart at season's end. This follows a mid-season coaching shuffle that saw McCartney, the former Western Bulldogs coach, shifted from the backline to an overall mentoring role and Jade Rawlings moved from Casey VFL coach to forward line coach of the AFL side. More change is expected in the coming weeks with the club considering a range of options.

The club have also signed fitness guru Darren Burgess to head the club's high performance team. The appointment of Burgess, who has in recent years spent time with English Premier League club Arsenal, is widely viewed as a coup. Burgess has been credited as one of the architects of Port Adelaide's rise towards premiership contention in the first half of the decade. Having resigned from the St Kilda post three weeks ago in the face of an overwhelming likelihood that he wouldn't be at the helm in 2020, Richardson ventured on a holiday to Bali and has returned refreshed. Richardson said at his farewell press conference that he wasn’t sure if he would remain in football, but conversations with clubs since his return to the country are indicative of an appetite to stay involved with an AFL club. Demons coach Simon Goodwin (left) and assistant Brendan McCartney. Credit:AAP The assistant coaching landscape has heated up, with the AFL Coaches Association's informal August 1 deadline for informing coaches of their futures passing last week.