Brendon Goddard

#18 - Brendon Goddard - St Kilda FC
Personal information
Birth	20 May 1985 (1985-05-20) (age 24)
Recruited from	Traralgon/Gippsland Power
Height and weight	191cm / 92kg
Playing career¹
Debut	Round 4, 21 April 2003, St Kilda vs. Richmond, at Docklands, Melbourne
Team(s)	St Kilda Football Club 2003 - present 137 games, 55 goals
¹ Statistics to end of 2009 season
Career highlights
* St Kilda Minor Premiership Side 2009 All-Australian Team 2009 2nd in Trevor Barker Award - St Kilda Football Club's Best & Fairest 2009 St Kilda AFL Cup Winning Side 2004 11 AFL Finals Series Matches International Rules Series 2006

Brendon James Goddard (born 20 May 1985) is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

[edit] Early life

Goddard was raised in Traralgon, Victoria and later attended Caulfield Grammar School 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 powerful batsman and pace bowler.^[1] He was selected by the St Kilda Football Club with the first pick in the 2002 AFL Draft.

[edit] AFL career

Goddard debuted for St Kilda in the 2003 season while completing his VCE as a Year 12 student at Caulfield Grammar.

[edit] 2004 season

He played in St Kilda’s 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side - St Kilda Football Club’s second AFL Cup win.^[2]

For a number 1 draft pick, Goddard came under a lot of criticism in his early years.^[1] Around 2006 he quieted many of his critics after averaging over 20 disposals a game.

[edit] 2006 season

During 2006, Goddard joined fellow St Kilda player Aaron Fiora as one of the biggest kicks in the AFL after kicking a 70 metre goal against Fremantle.

[edit] 2007 season

During the Saints' Round 7 game against the Sydney Swans, Goddard fell hard on his left knee which resulted in a ruptured ACL. Goddard showed his frustration by slamming his fist into the ground after hurting the knee which ended his season.

[edit] 2008 season

He returned to action in Round 3 and produced a solid season thereafter.

Goddard signed on to stay with St Kilda until 2010, despite attempts by other clubs to recruit him.

[edit] 2009 season

After the first few rounds of the 2009 season, Goddard was noted as one of the stronger players in the league and became an early favourite for the Brownlow Medal.

Generally a backman and midfielder - in Round 3 he was positioned in an irregular position at full forward and kicked four goals in the first quarter, the most he had ever kicked in a single game. Goddard did not kick another goal for the game but gained 28 disposals in a best afield display.

Goddard played in 21 of 22 matches in the 2009 AFL Premiership Season home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the 2009 AFL Finals Series, winning the club’s 3rd minor premiership.^[3]

Goddard was recognized for his excellent season with selection in the 2009 All-Australian Team as an interchange player. This was his first career All-Australian Team award.

St Kilda qualificatied for the 2009 AFL Grand Final after qualifying and preliminary finals wins. Goddard played in the grand final when St Kilda was defeated by 12 points.

At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Goddard finished as runner-up for the Trevor Barker Award, the award for the best and fairest St Kilda player during the home and away season.^[4]

As of the end of the 2009 AFL Premiership Season, Goddard had played in 11 AFL Finals Series matches - including the 2009 Grand Final - and 1 AFL Cup final.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St Kilda Football Club

• Brendon Goddard profile on the Official AFL Website of the St Kilda Football Club
• Brendon Goddard's statistics from AFL Tables