Brendon James Goddard (born 20 May 1985) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for St Kilda and Essendon in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). He played for the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...

from 2003 to 2012, then with Essendon from 2013 to 2018. He was the captain of Essendon during the 2016 season.

Early life

Goddard was raised in

Traralgon, Victoria Traralgon ( , ) is a city located in the east of the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the most populous city in the City of Latrobe and the region. The urban population of Traralgon at the was 26,907. It is th ...

, and later attended

Caulfield Grammar School Caulfield Grammar School is a private, co-educational, Anglican, International Baccalaureate, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as a boys' school, Caulfield Grammar began admitting girls exactly ...

as a boarder. He was an accomplished sportsman, co-captaining the school's First XVIII football team and co-captaining the First XI cricket team as a

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...

and pace bowler.

AFL career

St Kilda: 2003–2012

A lifelong Carlton supporter, it seemed destined that Goddard would fulfill his boyhood dream of playing for the Blues when Carlton finished last in the

2002 AFL season The 2002 AFL season was the 106th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixt ...

and indicated they would take Goddard with the first pick of the 2002 National Draft. However, an investigation into salary cap breaches stripped Carlton of the #1 pick, which was elevated to St Kilda, who ultimately took him. "It was pretty deflating, to be honest. But at that age you don't get a choice of where you go, so I was just grateful to get an opportunity anywhere." He debuted in the following season while completing his

Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria as well as in some international schools i ...

as a Year 12 student at

. He played in the 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side – the club's second AFL pre-season competition win. After being selected with the number 1 pick, he received a lot of criticism in his early years. During a round 7 clash against the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

in 2007, Goddard ruptured his ACL after falling heavily onto it, which resulted in Goddard missing the remainder of the season. He would return to play in round 3, 2008 and produced a solid form for the rest of the year. Despite interest from other clubs trying to recruit him, he signed a contract to stay with the Saints until 2010. After a strong first few rounds of the 2009 season, Goddard was noted as one of the best players in the league and was seen as an early favourite for the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

. Although generally considered a defender/midfielder, during a round 3 match against West Coast in 2009, he was positioned in the forward line and kicked four goals in the first quarter, the most he had ever kicked in a single game until that time. Although he didn't kick another goal for the game, he did gain 28 disposals in a best on field performance. Goddard averaged 27.2 possessions per game in 24 matches in 2009 and was selected in the 2009 All-Australian Team and finished as the runner-up for the Trevor Barker Award. St Kilda finished first on the ladder after the home and away season and won their third minor premiership. They qualified for the

2009 AFL Grand Final The 2009 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the St Kilda Football Club and the Geelong Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 2009. It was the 113th annual AFL Grand Final, grand final ...

, where they were defeated by the Geelong Cats by 12 points. He averaged a career-high 28.7 possessions in 25 games (including four finals matches). He was voted in the

All-Australian Team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

, finished third in the Trevor Barker Award and received 14 votes in the

2010 Brownlow Medal The 2010 Brownlow Medal was the 83rd year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Chris Judd of the Carlton Football Club won the medal by poll ...

going into the night as the favourite to win. In the drawn

2010 AFL Grand Final The 2010 AFL Grand Final was a series of two Australian rules football matches between the Collingwood Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. They are considered the 114th and 115th AFL Grand Final, grand finals of the Australian Football ...

, Goddard finished second in the voting for the

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990, the competition was known as the Victorian Footbal ...

, with seven votes and his teammate Lenny Hayes won it with 13 votes. He is also remembered for taking a memorable high mark in the last quarter, and kicking a goal which put the Saints in front (before Collingwood came back to draw the game and defeat the Saints in the replay a week later). At the conclusion of the season, he signed on until the end of the 2012 season. On 1 October 2012, Goddard signed with Essendon and became the first big name to use the AFL's new free-agency period which debuted in 2012. Goddard had refused to sign a new three-year deal all season and instead opted to sign with the Bombers, who offered him higher pay and a four-year contract. Goddard was formally offered the deal by Essendon at 11am on 1 October, with St Kilda allowed 72-hours in which to make a counter offer. However, the Saints decided by the end of the day that they were not willing to match the offer, therefore allowing Goddard to join the Bombers. In making a formal statement of the decision, St Kilda head of football, Chris Pelchen, stipulated that the club had made a significant offer to Goddard "that was relative to both his position and other players within the team. While we are disappointed at his decision to leave the Saints, we are absolutely committed to our ‘team first’ philosophy in relation to player contracts." St Kilda's senior coach, Scott Watters, further elaborated on the reasons St Kilda chose not to counter the Bombers' offer: "As far as the offer that was put forward to Brendon, it would've put him in the top two highest paid players at our football club", Watters said. "The reason (for Goddard leaving) is money. It's that simple." St Kilda was said to have offered "significantly more" than $500,000 a year to Goddard.

Essendon: 2013–2018

He joined Essendon with aspirations of winning a premiership, but found himself walking into one of the biggest controversies in Australian sporting history. Goddard took on the responsibility of being a leader and speaking to the media where his new teammates were not allowed to speak. Goddard's first season at Essendon was capped off when he won the first best-and-fairest award of his career. He played every game for the season, mainly through the midfield, averaging 26 disposals and kicking 18 goals, his best season tally since 2010. His leadership continued to be valued on and off the field, and his maturity and experience in big games proved invaluable to the young list. In 2014, Goddard once again maintained his form on the field, whilst again being a voice for his teammates in the media. He was important in Essendon's loss to the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

and finished third in the W. S. Crichton Medal. In January 2016, Goddard was named as Essendon's captain, replacing the suspended

Jobe Watson Jobe Watson (born 8 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Watson, the son of three-time Essendon premiership champion Tim Watson, w ...

. Mark Baguley was named as vice-captain. In August 2018, Essendon opted not to offer Goddard a contract for the 2019 season, effectively ending Goddard's football career.

Statistics

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2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, , , 18 , , 24 , , 4 , , 4 , , 174 , , 128 , , 302 , , 109 , , 48 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 7.3 , , 5.3 , , 12.6 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , , 18 , , 19 , , 6 , , 4 , , 178 , , 105 , , 283 , , 91 , , 41 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 9.4 , , 5.5 , , 14.9 , , 4.8 , , 2.2 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, , , 18 , , 22 , , 10 , , 9 , , 321 , , 156 , , 477 , , 177 , , 71 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 14.6 , , 7.1 , , 21.7 , , 8.1 , , 3.2 , , 6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, , , 18 , , 7 , , 3 , , 2 , , 89 , , 41 , , 130 , , 56 , , 12 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 12.7 , , 5.9 , , 18.6 , , 8.0 , , 1.7 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, , , 18 , , 23 , , 11 , , 4 , , 337 , , 200 , , 537 , , 182 , , 47 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 14.7 , , 8.7 , , 23.4 , , 7.9 , , 2.0 , , 6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, , , 18 , , 24 , , 15 , , 9 , , 359 , , 293 , , 652 , , 150 , , 77 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 15.0 , , 12.2 , , 27.2 , , 6.3 , , 3.2 , , 14 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, , , 18 , , 25 , , 24 , , 9 , , 367 , , 351 , , 718 , , 172 , , 88 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 14.7 , , 14.0 , , 28.7 , , 6.9 , , 3.5 , , 14 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, , , 18 , , 23 , , 13 , , 11 , , 309 , , 233 , , 542 , , 131 , , 90 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 13.4 , , 10.1 , , 23.6 , , 5.7 , , 3.9 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, , , 18 , , 20 , , 12 , , 13 , , 300 , , 187 , , 487 , , 121 , , 60 , , 0.6 , , 0.7 , , 15.0 , , 9.4 , , 24.4 , , 6.1 , , 3.0 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, , , 9 , , 22 , , 18 , , 5 , , 347 , , 227 , , 574 , , 151 , , 73 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 15.8 , , 10.3 , , 26.1 , , 6.9 , , 3.3 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, , , 9 , , 20 , , 17 , , 18 , , 282 , , 181 , , 463 , , 133 , , 51 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , 14.1 , , 9.1 , , 23.2 , , 6.7 , , 2.6 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, , , 9 , , 22 , , 10 , , 7 , , 278 , , 303 , , 581 , , 131 , , 78 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 12.6 , , 13.8 , , 26.4 , , 6.0 , , 3.6 , , 2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, , , 9 , , 20 , , 3 , , 7 , , 256 , , 262 , , 518 , , 117 , , 73 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 12.8 , , 13.1 , , 25.9 , , 5.9 , , 3.7 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , , 9 , , 23 , , 5 , , 3 , , 309 , , 304 , , 613 , , 168 , , 73 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 13.4 , , 13.2 , , 26.7 , , 7.3 , , 3.2 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, , , 9 , , 22 , , 3 , , 2 , , 239 , , 251 , , 490 , , 137 , , 37 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 10.9 , , 11.4 , , 22.3 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , 1 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 334 ! 160 ! 113 ! 4301 ! 3305 ! 7606 ! 2103 ! 949 ! 0.5 ! 0.3 ! 12.9 ! 9.9 ! 22.8 ! 6.3 ! 2.8 ! 77

Commercial partnerships

Two of Goddard's most prominent commercial partners include Kia and

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

.
Brendon Goddard
''Elite Sports Properties''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goddard, Brendon 1985 births People educated at Caulfield Grammar School Living people Essendon Football Club players All-Australians (AFL) Gippsland Power players St Kilda Football Club players Crichton Medal winners Australian rules footballers from Traralgon Australia international rules football team players 21st-century Australian sportsmen