As far as on field positions go, Brendon Goddard has sampled just about every role there is.

His composure has been an asset in defence, his skills have aided the attack and his ball winning ability has added to the midfield.

On Saturday Goddard will play his 300^th game.

The bulk of this season, his 15^th at AFL level, has been spent as an inside midfielder.

With nearly half of the season gone, Goddard is the Bombers leading clearance player.

“I’ve spent more time as an ‘inside mid’ this year than I have any other year, particularly over the first six to seven rounds,” Goddard told Bomber Radio.

“The last couple of weeks I’ve been more on the wing … ‘Woosha’ [John Worsfold] and ‘Bluey’ [Guy McKenna] have an arm wrestle each week.

“‘Bluey’ would want me as an ‘inside mid’ and ‘Woosha’ would want me as a winger, so as the team evolves and as we get more inside midfielders rotating through the middle I’ll probably find myself getting more to the outside as a ‘winger’.

“At the moment I’ve been enjoying my time as an inside midfielder and essentially doing some ‘run-with’ or ‘accountability jobs’ as they’re probably called these days – there is no such thing as ‘tagging’.”

Goddard’s AFL career began in November 2002 when St Kilda selected him with the number one pick in the National Draft.

“There was always a bit of pressure being in that situation (number one pick) but I thought the club and myself were pretty good at keeping the bigger picture in mind,” he said.

“It probably took me a few years to find my feet and play consistent footy.

“We always kept things in perspective and had the bigger picture in mind.”

Of the 61 players picked in the National Draft that year, seven (Goddard, Daniel Wells, Jarrad McVeigh, Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Jobe Watson and Kade Simpson) remain playing at the highest level today.

Now, Goddard is helping guide the game’s latest number one pick, Andrew McGrath, who was selected by the Bombers last year.

“He’s like a dark to water, his transition to senior footy has been quite seamless,” Goddard said.

“Admittedly he felt a little bit shaky in his first couple of games as you’d expect being a young kid, but his ability to find the ball as a first year player and then to execute and be clean, he’s calm under pressure and we’ll see him go through the midfield but I reckon it’s a great apprenticeship to have playing down back.”

Goddard made his debut against Richmond in round four of the 2003 season. He picked up 11 possessions and kicked a goal.

St Kilda Coach Grant Thomas and teammates Nick Riewoldt, Aaron Hamill, Robert Harvey, Fraser Gehrig and Lenny Hayes were among the early influences on his career.

“It was just about trying to pick a part of their games that was a real strength and then trying to relate that or adapt that to my game,” Goddard said.

“The one thing they all did well was they were all elite trainers so I set out pretty early to compete with those guys.

“I set a goal early on in my career to be the hardest trainer and to try and surpass those guys at some point.”

In those early years, rotations were uncapped and full-forwards generally stayed inside 50.

Since then the game has seen a significant tactical shift with greater emphasis on ‘team’ defence and offence.

“You naturally evolve as footballers and as a team, but we’re essentially all sheep at the end of the day,” Goddard said.

“The best teams that year or the teams that perform consistently over a number of years, other teams tend to follow.

“You have to evolve as a footballer or else you get left behind.”

And that he has.

Goddard is a two-time All-Australian, a Crichton Medal winner, has played in three Grand Finals and was appointed Essendon Captain in 2016.

He crossed to the Bombers after ten years and 205 games with the Saints.

He won the Dons best and fairest in his first year and in 2017 he’s averaging his highest numbers in disposals and tackles since joining the Club.

Throughout one of the most challenging periods in Essendon’s history Goddard was a spokesman and a leader.

He said his teammates and the Club’s supporter base could take great pride in what they were able to get through together.

“Seeing the guys still have their dignity, their pride and the way they approached things throughout the last four and a half years and to see them come out the other side of things and enjoy their footy again has been quite an achievement and credit to themselves,” he said.

“Playing for Essendon and having such a loyal supporter group has been a credit to everyone involved.

“As players we’ve really appreciated the support and the continued support.”