Bill Goddard

Who is Bill Goddard?

William 'Bill' Goddard was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne, Carlton and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League.

A late comer to VFL football, Goddard played a game for South Fremantle in 1900 and spent five years at North Fremantle before going to Victoria. He had previously visited the eastern state in 1904 when he toured with the Western Australian interstate football team.

Goddard, who was a centreman, performed well in his first season at South Melbourne but missed out on a place in their 1907 Grand Final team. He crossed to Carlton after two years and would be used by the club as a defender.

In a tumultuous season for Carlton, which began with the sacking of coach Jack Worrall and ended with two players suspended for taking bribes, they still managed to make the Grand Final. This time Goddard was picked for the Grand Final and played the premiership decider from the back pocket, as Carlton went down to Collingwood by 14 points.

Goddard continued to play in the WAFL well into his 30s and was a member of East Fremantle's 1914 premiership side. His final season was in 1918 and only an injury stopped him from ending his career with another premiership, with East Fremantle winning that year's Grand Final.