Adam Goodes to make AFL milestone

By Melanie Whelan
Updated November 2 2012 - 5:44pm, first published September 13 2011 - 11:18am
Adam Goodes.
Adam Goodes.

BACK in his North Ballarat Rebels’ days, Adam Goodes was known for his leap and work ethic.But it was a move up forward in the 1997 TAC Cup grand final that made his game really stand out.Former Rebels coach Garry Fletcher and close mate Marc Greig said back then Goodes had a solid season – then that match he produced something special and has continued to lift his game since.Goodes, who had spent most of the season at centre half-back, booted six goals to lead the Rebels to the premiership.He was drafted at pick 43 to Sydney Swans that year.Goodes is a dual Brownlow medallist, three-time all-Australian, AFL rising star winner, Sydney captain and indigenous team of the century player.On Friday night, the 31-year-old will become the first player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 300-game milestone within 13 years.Fletcher and Greig say Goodes is still the same down-to-earth guy as he was in his Rebels days.Reflecting on the Rebels’ premiership year, Fletcher and Greig said it was an honour to have been a part of Goodes’ journey.“I still follow his career, very much so,” Fletcher said.“Just looking at his 300 games, it’s unbelievable that he’s already got this far so soon.“He’s an outstanding person and that’s exactly the way he was when I first met him at 15 or 16.“...He’s always been able to get on with people well, he’s always had a great work ethic, he’s always been enthusiastic and he’s always been a team player.”Fletcher, now based in Geelong, first met Goodes when he was adjusting to a move from Horsham and said it was fantastic to see how much the youngster, who had been “finding his way”, had developed into an admirable leader.North Ballarat Roosters’ captain Marc Greig went to school with Goodes, who moved to Horsham from Adelaide in year 9.They joined the Rebels together, travelled for matches and training, and have remained good friends since.Greig travelled to Melbourne last Saturday night to watch Goodes in the Swans’ elimination final against St Kilda.He will make the journey again on Friday night for Goodes’ 300th game and semi-final clash with Hawthorn.“Looking at him as a 17-year-old, you wouldn’t have thought he would achieve what he has done – back then he was just like any young kid trying to make his way in football,” Greig said.“He had a great jump but he wasn’t the best kick around, which shows what development work can achieve.”Goodes told a media conference that he had no idea what lay ahead of him when he left Horsham.“When you get drafted to an AFL football club, it’s a boy’s dream,” Goodes said.“But for me it probably wasn’t a dream, it was just a progression in finishing high school and playing some good footy that year and not knowing what I was going to do.“Luckily for me the day I got drafted was the day I finished my last English exam. So it just seemed to fit and really flowed on.“I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason and here I am 299 games later standing in front of you guys.”Greig said the move to Sydney was a massive benefit for Goodes, keeping him out of the close media scrutiny he would have attracted in Melbourne.Greig was also impressed with the continued work Goodes had done to bridge racial issues in sport and the community with the AFL Players Association and now as chairman of the inaugural AFLPA indigenous board.“You do hear all the time about what a great guy he is,” Greig said.“But all his mates from Horsham already knew that – his personality hasn’t changed since he’s been drafted.”

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