The Goodes train
Superstar Adam Goodes is about to play his 300th game, but in the early years there was barely a hint he would become a giant of the game
ADAM Goodes is a star. Having won one premiership and two Brownlow medals, the 31-year-old is about to cap a wonderful career by playing his 300th AFL game in the semi-final against Hawthorn on Friday night.
But in the early years, as a teenager, there was barely a hint he would become a giant of the game.
Goodes was far from a star when he started with the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup in the late 1990s.
He was chosen in the Vic Country team for the 1997 national under-18 championships on potential, but had a terrible carnival. His form in the TAC Cup was not much better.
Rebels coach Gary Fletcher even sent him back to Horsham to gain form. He made a request Goodes play in the senior team at centre half-back, where he could gain confidence by running straight at the ball.
Back at the Rebels, Goodes played a moderate game in the key defence post in the first final. In the Grand Final he shone.
Fletcher played him at full-forward on a hunch. His opponent was highly rated Dandenong Stingrays defender Trent Croad. Goodes kicked 6.9 and won the medal for best on ground.
Even then, however, there was little interest in him before the 1997 draft. No recruiting scout would admit it, but Goodes was regarded as soft.
Former Collingwood wingman Rick Barham took a different view.
"He had obvious talent—I was hardly a genius for picking him out," Barham said.
"But he was a little inconsistent. People do forget that as a 17-year-old, you're still learning the game."
Barham had been seduced by a mark Goodes took at a Vic Country training session at the MCG.
"It was the way he landed and took off," Barham said. "He had strength in the air and on the ground, and balance. He was cat-like. It was AFL standard."
The Swans selected him with pick 43 in the draft. Their previous picks were Jason Saddington (11) and Fred Campbell (40).
In keeping with the Swans' policy of letting recruits find their feet, Goodes spent 1998 adjusting to his new life.
His first AFL game was against Port Adelaide in the opening round in 1999. His teammates included champions such as Paul Kelly and Tony Lockett and unknowns including Andrew Bomford and Stefan Carey. Port won by 29 points.
Goodes played the rest of the season in positions as diverse as the wing and the ruck, sometimes in the same game.
As an athlete who stands 194cm, he was the prototype of modern football. At the end of the 1999 season, he won the Rising Star award.
Former teammate Troy Luff, who was also in the Swans team when Goodes made his debut, said it was only after that first season that the teeanager believed he belonged in the AFL.
"He needed to be pumped up; he needed to be told he could play," Luff said.
"Winning the Rising Star confirmed to him that he was a good player."
Those the AFL Record spoke to were generally of the opinion that Goodes was shy, humble and lacking confidence when he arrived at Sydney.
The one dissenter was Barham, who said Goodes believed in his ability from the start.
"He played with an inner confidence," Barham said, "as he still does."
In those early years, Goodes revelled—at least in mock fashion—in the nickname 'The Difference'.
If, after a close win, commentators and fans described Goodes as the difference, the budding star would strut and claim, "Yes, I was the difference."
Those interviewed agreed they can tell when Goodes is switched on. Luff sees Sydney play almost every week through his commentary work with Triple M.
"You can just see when he’s on," Luff said.
Barham agreed: "When he's on, he’s on."
Barham said Sydney was smart in keeping Goodes away from the ruck after he had suffered knee injuries in his early years.
His durability since then has been remarkable, as shown again by the fact he has played every game this year.
Just last week, in the elimination final against St Kilda, Goodes again proved his athletic powers by running from full-back to full-forward before receiving a handball and running into an open goal.
"He's 31 and he's still running around like a 20-year-old," Barham said.
Tony Frawley was the regional manager of the North Ballarat Rebels when Goodes was playing there.
He was responsible for making sure Goodes came down from Horsham every week to play in the TAC Cup.
Frawley said Goodes' success makes him proud. "But I never thought he would win two Brownlows and play 300 games."
