The new Melbourne coach revealed the leadership group was not consulted until after he made the decision to elevate Viney alongside captain of three years, Nathan Jones.

Goodwin, who privately broke the news to Jones last month, told Fairfax Media that the Demons skipper was taken aback and had initially and repeatedly sought an explanation for the perceived demotion.

"We always knew it wasn't going to be the most popular decision," said Goodwin, "[but] it was just a standout we couldn't ignore.

"Nathan wanted to know why but he's been terrific since then. The most difficult thing for a player is to go from being captain to co-captain. He understands what we were doing.

"It's not about Nathan, it's about the growth of a football club and his response to that has been the most selfless thing he could have done."

Goodwin expanded on the debate and thought process behind the co-captaincy decision, which has been publicly scrutinised and took the rest of the Melbourne leadership group by surprise. "It was the coaches' decision," he confirmed.

"We knew it would be questioned and we had people say we've had co-captains before and it hasn't worked out so why would we do this again? But this is very different to when Jack Grimes and Trenners [Jack Trengove] were both promoted at the age of 22."

Moving to dispel some recent public notions Goodwin said that reigning club best and fairest Viney, 22 - Jones is 29 - was not a captain-in-waiting but was ready to captain the side now, a readiness the coaches could not overlook.

And he denied Viney had been promoted because he was more team-oriented than Jones, denying the suggestion that Jones, having risen to leadership at a time Melbourne was relatively bereft of talent, had been more focused on his own game.

"Nathan's changed a lot," said the new coach. "He's become a very team-oriented person. Early on maybe that focus was necessary for him but to say that Jack's more team-oriented than Nathan would be incorrect.

"And I see both of them getting better."

Jones, who represented the Demons on captains day last week and whose side opens its season on Saturday against St Kilda, said on Monday night that he felt "like something was being taken away from me".

"I think initially, to be completely honest, I was disappointed and frustrated," Jones told Fox Footy. "At the time, being a super-competitive person, I felt like something was being taken away from me.

"[But] I was really conscious and aware of not letting that influence my professionalism, leadership and training standards or impact on the playing group.

"Since then I was able to sit down with Goodi and discuss how he saw it and why the decision was made and I now see it as a real opportunity.

"I'm confident ... that we form a really strong partnership.

"I think since that initial 24-48 hours I've been able to digest it and only see it as a positive and an opportunity. We can work together as a team, share the load and bridge the gap between younger and older players."