If you think back to the 2010 grand final between St. Kilda and Collingwood, one image may be clear in your mind, the spectacular mark that Brendon Goddard took on the shoulders of Harry O’Brien.
Goddard went back and kicked the goal which put the Saints in front for the first time all day, and his reaction was to pump his fist right into the heart of the St. Kilda logo.
Goddard gave his all that day he finished the match with 29 disposals (11 kicks and 18 handballs) and was unlucky not to finish the game with the Norm Smith Medal.
To give you an idea of Goddard’s mind frame here is what he had to say after the game:
“It’s war today. It’s not too often you come back to fight another war a week later.”
St. Kilda was beaten by 56 points the next week and Goddard never truly reached the heights that he was playing at during the 2010 season over the next two years.
It was although he had spent all his energy into winning a premiership for St. Kilda and once he knew that he wasn’t going to win one, he was just going through the motions.
St. Kilda’s discipline in the past few seasons served as a distraction to the team’s on-field performance somewhat and the Saints missed the finals in 2012 after a slow start to the season.
Then came free agency and there was the talk that St. Kilda’s salary cap was tight, many clubs expressed interest in Goddard with Essendon eventually gaining the services of Goddard for a reported $750,000.
It appears this is the fresh start that Goddard so badly needed. There were periods during the 2012 season where Goddard was clearly frustrated.
One example of this is where he struck tagger Sam Wright with a swinging forearm and was suspended for two matches.
This would have been purely down to Goddard’s expectations of himself as he tries to set himself a high standard, week in and week out.
Goddard is super talented but he let himself down last year with his mental attitude.
The move to Essendon will serve him good. He has already shown this with a return to form in the NAB Cup.
He is immensely talented as he can play as an oversized midfielder, in attack or as a damaging defender. His disposal is one of the most elite in the AFL.
Essendon will gain so much from having such a player on their list as Hird has commented on in the preseason:
“He challenges his teammates and they have challenged him. When you mature as a group you trust each other to become more honest.”
With Goddard firing there is every real possibility that Essendon has a line-up that can potentially win the premiership.
They have a good core group of players that if they can stay fit are every chance of beating any team in the competition.
It’s just a matter of whether Goddard can recapture his past form that will make the difference come September.
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